Live Lounge is great and all but what I love most is trawling through Youtube to find the best cover versions of my favourite songs by unsigned or small-time artists. If you put the time in, you'll find so many different and innovative interpretations of the biggest hits right now... but who has the time for that I hear you say? Have no fear for that's what our Youtube Faceoff is all about. Previous posts have looked at artists as diverse as Adele, Britney Spears, Macy Gray and Robyn.
Some of the best covers are based on songs that seem shallow and trashy on the surface but are actually surprisingly good when sang differently. To day we're going to take a look at Kesha's 'Die Young', which is a perfect example of this. I've never been a huge fan of her sleazy image but dammit, some of Kesha's songs are just beyond catchy. Check out the original song below for a reminder of how good Kesha can be when she actually bothers to sing properly on a track and look! She's even washed her hair!
"Looking for some trouble tonight. Take my hand, I'll show you the wild side."
First, I wanted to share a guitar based version of the track sung by Colin Healy. This cover keeps the tempo up and although it's kind of cheesy in places, I still love it. Imagine Owl City with some charisma and that should give you some idea of what Healy sounds like. It helps that he's crazy hot too. I could definitely hear this version being played on the radio.
Next up is a male/female duet by Anthony Da Costa & Cara Salimando. This acoustic cover changes the arrangement somewhat to fit the pairs folky twang, which reminds me of the incredible singers from the Irish musical 'Once'. Both voices are fantastic to listen to and each compliments the other brilliantly. Furthermore, Da Costa and Salimando actually make it sound like 'Die Young' is a meaningful song with the emotion that they bring to their vocals. No easy task!
If you thought the last cover mixed the song up a bit, then you should listen to how Gallant X Snow completely transforms 'Die Young' into an eerie trip-hop style ballad. The haunting production and unusual arrangement give this track a whole new lease of life and it's just beautiful to listen to. Kesha's ' Die Young' is almost unrecognisable here but that's not a bad thing when the result is this stunning.
Finally, I wanted to share a mash-up of Kesha's 'Die Young' and One Direction's 'Live While We're Young'. I don't know if Drew Tabor was the first to come up with this idea but I love her acoustic version which blends the two songs seamlessly. Tabor has a lovely soft voice and her restrained performance is more impressive than the overly theatrical runs which many Youtube singers seem so fond of. Listen to the end of the cover for a beautiful break down which showcases Tabor's talent at its best.
If I had to pick a winner for today's Youtube faceoff, then it would have to be the Gallant X Snow version, just for the way it completely reinvents 'Die Young' into something soft and beautiful. But do you agree? Which cover is your favourite version of Kesha's single? And do you know any other great versions that I could have included in today's Youtube faceoff? Let me know by commenting, liking and sharing below. Thanks!
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