The Top 5 Stunning and Top 5 Shocking Soul/Jazz Covers

As Blam Jam takes a bank holiday break, it's a good time as ever to
probe the art of a cover version.

And if a lot of effort has gone into a cover, then I suppose
it can be an art, certainly in the case of Inner Life and
their defining disco arrangement of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

Though in recent times there's been the emergence of LPs filled
to the brim with covers that are either indistinguishable from
the originals, or blander in comparison.

Recent examples including Beggar and Co's recent album,
and the Elements of Life long player.

(Cue a cacophony of booing in disagreement.)

But really? Another "faux-latin" cover of "Pasttime Paradise"?

Inspired by Sage's rundown of the 5 Best and 5 Worst covers,
I've assembled my own inferior attempt, showcasing the best
and worst from the soul vaults (in no particular order),
so let's wait no longer.

The 5 Best Soul/Jazz Covers

Monday Michiru - "As"



This is far from a lazy Stevie cover.

The first time I heard this broken beat arrangement I was in tears,
such an amazing arrangement distinct from the original,
and it made me pay attention to the well crafted lyrics.

It’s the piano chords in the chorus that do it for me, and this,
like many of Monday’s covers shows that you are never going
to get a carbon copy of the original when she makes her mark
on a well-known song.

(Louie Vega, take note.)

As her afro-cuban rendition of a well known Sister Sledge song
also illustrates.

Incognito - "That's The Way Of The World"




Around about this time in 2006, my excitement reached a
massive height (though not as high as it would the following year)
upon hearing that the Cog were going to cover an
Earth Wind and Fire anthem.

How did I feel when I first heard it?

Well you can hear my immediate reaction, from when myself
and Pippa ST gave it a spin on my soul show at Smoke Radio
in September that year. (I was just getting the hang of this radio
nonsense back then)



A month later I heard it performed live at Incognito's Jazz Cafe gig
and I doubt anyone was able to control themselves.

Especially after Bluey mentioned that he included the cover
on the album "Bees + Things + Flowers" as a get well card
to Maurice White who has been suffering Parkinson's disease.

Any hardcore Earth Wind and Fire fan will also be able to
spot the melodic nods to "Can't Hide Love" and "Burnin' Bush",
and as a whole, it's impossible to listen to without trembling.

Al Jarreau - "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay"



A much needed relief after being tortured with the "rocked up"
Michael Bolton version on Sage's countdown.

This jazzy arrangement of the Otis Redding tune has an
amazing flow to it where seems to come and disappear,
with some amazing Rhodes chords adding a new perspective
and Al's dreamy vocals, wow.

Released in 1978, it's not the only cover from Jarreau's "All Fly Home" LP
what with an equally good rendition of "She's Leaving Home".

The definitive tune to play whilst watching the sun setting.

Bah Samba Featuring Alice Russell - "Portuguese Love"



You know you've done a good cover when it renders the public
memory of the original to be non-existant.

Bah Samba and the amazing Alice Russell achieved just that in 2005
with their cover of the Teena Marie tune, turning it from a blissful ballad
to a lively latin dance tune, with amazing musicianship blended
together with Alice's stunning vocals.

I've included the extended Phil Asher remix above which just has to be
heard from beginning to end.

The Sunburst Band - "In The Thick Of It"



Another slow one turned soulful house stunner.

Joey Negro and his team of musicans along with Angela Johnson
on vocals give the Brenda Russell ballad from 1979 an amazing 
makeover and one that still proves popular on the dancefloors.

This one was another instant winner on first hearing it, and even
if I hear it played in a club, I will still get a little teary.

In fact after downloading the "Reprise" mix with just the strings on
their own, I was uncontrollable.

Just amazing.


So those are the five stunners, we're about to move on to five soulful
stinkers...

The 5 Worst Soul/Jazz Covers

Dwele - "That's The Way Of The World"



Any soul fans who have spoken to me, will be aware of my hatred
for a compilation of Earth Wind and Fire covers released in 2007 called "Interpretations".

What an absolute waste.

To think that Maurice White actually had a hand this album is
beyond me as most of the covers (with one or two exceptions)
are just painful.

To be honest, I'm certain his involvement in the album itself
was similar to that of Joe Barbera in the Tom and Jerry Movie.

And after all the effort that Bluey and Incognito went into making
their cover of "That's The Way Of The World" they opted for a bland
neo-soul version which sounds like the demo tune on a Bontempi organ.

I've nothing against Dwele, as he's capable of far better,
but for something that lacks the effort that the Cog gave to this tune,
Ugh.

And I'm not finished with this album, oh no...

Brand New Heavies - "Many Rivers To Cross"



There are certain songs that many will say are sacred and should not
be touched, and for me, the Jimmy Cliff tune is one such song.

UB40, Cher, even Vince Kidd off of series one of The Voice, have
been unable to outdo this elegance of the original and The Brand
New Heavies didn't fare that much better either.

I suppose my dislike for their version was because it just
wasn't what they were about at all.

An attempt at taking a new direction saw the hiring of new vocalist
Nicole Russo, a sort of poor man's Roisin Murphy and the musical
direction shifted from jazzy soul, to bland R&B mediocrity.

Adding salt into the wound on their 2004 album "Allabouthefunk"
was this painful cover lacking the emotion of the original.

The album proved very unpopular with the BNH fanbase resulting
in Nicole's departure and the return of N'Dea Davenport on the
band's subsequent album.

In fact the band have erased all traces of Nicole from the biog
on their website and are now back to what they do best, if
their latest album is anything to go by.

UB40 - "Homely Girl"



Seriously, have UB40 ever made a good cover version?

This one in particular defines cod-reggae at it's most accurate,
as quite frankly it just stinks.

It didn't realise how bad it really was until I heard the Chi-Lites original,
and oh my, there are no words.

I still love the woodwind taunt after the lyric "to be somewhere
in the dark with you".

Digressing, if you want a reggae cover of that song that's more faithful
to the original, Inner Circle's interpretation from 1974 is more
than commendable.

Meshell Ndegeocello - "Fantasy"



Another offering from the EWF "Interpretations" album and this
is even worse.

There's experimental covers, and then there's excremental covers.

Really there are no words.
 
To this day, the band are still happy to have their songs defecated on
during their live shows as this rendition of "After The Love Has Gone"
featuring Mario Biondi (!) painfully proves.

You'd think that one day, the Italian singer would finish
his mouth full before he starts singing.

Cliff Richard - "Teardrops"



I suppose Mario Biondi borrowed a delusional belief from the
Peter Pan of pop into thinking he could lend his voice to almost
any song possible.

This is one of many atrocities from Sir Cliff's 2011 LP "Soulicious"
which won the dishonour of Blam Jam's Rotten Raspberry that year
with it's hilariously bad array of soul interpretations.

Even the video shows no effort in originality.

Why the likes of Lamont Dozier, and Candi Staton agreed to this
album I have no idea, though my only hope is that it has
prompted the crazed fans of Harry Webb into looking into the
superior originals of his watered down covers.

As at the end of the day, it may be a soul album but it's still bloody
Cliff Richard.


So those are my selections of the best and the bland of soul/jazz
covers, but as a whole, the best covers are those
that can be interpreted brilliantly with just the use of the human voice.

And none finer than that of Mr Gregory Porter.

Thanks for reading.