I like to collect a variety of different covers of certain songs—for instance, "Angel from Montgomery" (originally John Prine's song, of course, but I've got versions by Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews, and Susan Tedeschi, to name a few) or "The Weight" (originally by The Band, but also Aretha Franklin & Duane Allman, Sheryl Crow & The Wallflowers, etc.). Now, thanks to My Old Kentucky Home, I've got a huge collection of covers of Leonard Cohen's gem, "Hallelujah," featuring everyone from the familiar (Rufus Wainwright, k. d. lang, Bob Dylan, and John Cale) to the unknown (Clare Bowditch, Eric Beverly, Aroof Aftab, Ari Hest, and another couple of dozen more!). I haven't listened to all of them yet, but they all seem pretty good so far. Is that the sign of a great song, that it's just about impossible to wreck? (Via Grow-a-Brain)
If you like cover versions of Leonard Cohen songs, then you might enjoy the album "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Jennifer Warnes. It's beautifully done covers of nine Cohen songs. I find her rendition of 'Song of Bernadette" particularly moving. Warnes is best known for "I Had the Time of My Life," with Bill Medley.
Posted by: Janice | May 30, 2006 at 06:05 PM