What are you listening to ...right now?

[C C]

The studio original is here (2018): https://youtu.be/RKUENGsDXBA

Feb 24, 2022 - Cody Johnson: "On My Way To You" (new, acoustic version) ... https://youtu.be/b6ITpWyd594

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/b6ITpWyd594

[C C]

Here is the original (2014): https://youtu.be/tA8AfQaUnXM

She seems to officially join her name together like that in most contexts (i.e., not "Jordin Laine").

Feb 26, 2022 - JordinLaine: cover of "Ghost" (Ella Henderson) ... https://youtu.be/DAXjmg6kRmg

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/DAXjmg6kRmg

[C C]

Well, since it's Sunday, and these two are part of the new ones to listen to (sample, examine)...
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Feb 26, 2022 - Keith Rogers doing Norman Blake's song "Church Street Blues": https://youtu.be/l3uOCmRXcGA

The original from 1990 is here (difficult to top Blake, but that's not the point of a cover): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_YB9SC7AV4

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Feb 25, 2022 - Brooke Ligertwood with Brandon Lake: "Honey In The Rock" ... https://youtu.be/2vpuNsZxmpA

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2vpuNsZxmpA

[C C]

Other recent stuff to listen to and assess.
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Here is the original (1983): https://youtu.be/OMOGaugKpzs

Feb 23, 2022 - Emily Linge: cover of "Every Breath You Take" (The Police) ... https://youtu.be/8I8MdSgGNMo

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/8I8MdSgGNMo

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Note that the song below features some explicit language (though hardly unusual in this century).

The original is here (2016): https://youtu.be/0RyInjfgNc4

Feb 24, 2022 - Joseph Solomon: cover of "Love On The Brain" (Rihanna) ... https://youtu.be/apYW6BxSGqU

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/apYW6BxSGqU

[C C]

Adding another one that came out today...

Feb 27, 2022 - Sam Mangubat, cover of "Talking to the Moon" (Bruno Mars): https://youtu.be/HFXj0uorF3g

Here is the original for the above (2010): https://youtu.be/fXw0jcYbqdo

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The original for the one below is here (1993): https://youtu.be/n6P0SitRwy8

Feb 27, 2022 - John and Bas: cover of "Heart Shaped Box" (Nirvana) ... https://youtu.be/GOfmAScLFHk

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/GOfmAScLFHk

[Leigha]

Can never go wrong with a Nirvana cover.

[C C]

Emmanuel and Dawes must be touring together (bottom video), making it one of the most intimidating acoustic guitar duos (slash duels) in history.
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The first below is a long-distance "studio" session they did circa 8 months ago.

Here is the original (2011): https://youtu.be/8UVNT4wvIGY

Tommy Emmanuel & Mike Dawes: cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know" (Gotye) ... https://youtu.be/2bx9vTF8x2s

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2bx9vTF8x2s

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For the recent live event somebody recorded below...
The original is here (1991): https://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg

Feb 24, 2022 - Tommy Emmanuel & Mike Dawes: cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana) ... https://youtu.be/IsrwKnIEbZE 

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/IsrwKnIEbZE

[Leigha]

Slow and a little melancholy, but I kinda like it. So many covers are slowed way down to the point of losing the grip of the original, but this hangs on and brings a refreshing vibe to it.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/rHTaxy8gAfU

[C C]

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Nice -- might be the first time I've heard it sung with just the keyboard in the background.

I acutely remember that song (Iris) due to the eccentric or insane guitar tuning that Rzeznik used -- where the bass E string was lowered down to a floppy B note and all the other strings tuned to low and high D notes (BDDDDD tuning). I mean, that's super-weird even in the school of alternate tunings.

I don't know how he kept the severely loosened 6th and 4th strings from buzzing with the gauge sizes he supposedly had strung on the guitar (I'm pretty sure he used an acoustic in that late '90s video, not an electric).

The whole tuning amounts to nothing more a two-note minor third (harmonic) interval, but with the treble strings tuned an octave higher for their D notes (creating a limited 12-string guitar sort of resonance). 

Ruminating over it now, I guess the only string one would actually risk breaking on their guitar is the 2nd string (the only one tuned up, and up quite a bit).

But it still seems crazy that some tab sites actually prescribe using Rzeznik's offbeat tuning rather than alternative chord fingering arrangements in standard tuning. Judging by Corey Heuvel using the latter during one of his livestreams in the past, such still sounded pretty effective for providing accompaniment to the "Iris" vocals. It's not like one truly needs to emulate the effects of that freaky BDDDDD tuning.   

Other instruments, like a piano, have no choice but convention, anyhow.

[C C]

Yeah, yeah -- an instrumental (on one instrument, no less). Common refrain: "I need the lyrics, I need the melody to be sung, not played!".

But that's another purpose for the link to the original. In those cases, think of the embedded video as the triggering cause for why I was listening to the original to begin with.

There's some mainstream pop (both old and new) that I couldn't otherwise bear to expose my ears to, if not for a solo guitar cover providing a stimulus to check it out and compare. 

Here is the original (1986), with uncredited(?) Ronnie Spector cameo: https://youtu.be/3aJvIFK9-xk

Below, wait for the kicks in impetus after the 1:18 mark, if the Zzzz tendencies set in early.

katgrüvs - cover of "Take Me Home Tonight" (Eddie Money) ... https://youtu.be/nIld-Qw0TE0

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/nIld-Qw0TE0