License to Cover: Good and Bad Remakes

let's get right to it.

for a few weeks now, i've been downright irate about Boyz II Men's cover of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me."  i refuse to listen to it ever again.  i'm partial to originals.  and while i do make exceptions here and there, i only do so for the very best.  [i'm a self-proclaimed music snob.  and i like me.]  and i tend to have one rule when it comes to a good remake: KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Raitt's classic about unrequited love is beautifully haunting, raw, and bare.  as you can imagine, Boyz II Men took that thing and cluttered it with runs and riffs galore.  a mess.  i like them as a group, but this cover is tragic.

Joe, on the other hand, recently released an impeccable cover of "Cant Get Over You," originally recorded by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.  the cover is part of Silky Soul Music: All-Star Tribute to Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly.  i've yet to hear the album, but if Joe's offering is any indication of the album's potential...i'm interested.  Joe did the damn thing.  he took a classic and freshened it up a bit.  he made it his own, but not so much so that it's unfamiliar.  he found the balance.  Boyz II men (and countless other artists who cover classics and even obscure gems) should take note.

both vids are below for your own judgment.  holla at youtube for the originals of both (i'm following my own rule and keeping it simple here).





what say you?  and what are some other good and bad remakes?

Flowers for the Garden: Bonnie Raitt

timeless song about unrequited love.




-rhythm