Tune du Jour: “One” – U2
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Cowboy Junkies vs. Dami Im vs. Joe Cocker
VOTE, COMMENT, then DRAG THE PAST OUT INTO THE LIGHT
CoverMeImpressed.com CoverMeImpressed.com CoverMeImpressed.com
Did I Ask for Too Much?
More Than a Lot …
You Gave Me a Carrot Guitar
Now That’s All I’ve Got
The Original
U2:
R.E.M. with Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen Jr.:
A damn shame. This one could have been a contender. But you just can’t slip the original band’s bass player and drummer into the mix and call it your own. Well … at least not on CMI you can’t!!! (Yeah, we’re a bunch of badasses around here, deal with it!)
Johnny Cash:
I know, technically, this is a cover and should be down below battling among other contenders. The problem is this cover is perfect. The song absolutely cannot be performed any better. As such, I feel to include it in the competition would be disrespectful to the memory of the Man in Black, as well as unfair to the poor bastards below who so desperately covet the industry accolades that come with a CMI victory.
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Cowboy Junkies vs. Dami Im vs. Joe Cocker
Cowboy Junkies:
Dami Im:
Joe Cocker:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On?!!?
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
Cowboy Junkies do a fine, straight forward cover. Nothing wrong with it, nothing remarkable about it. I can’t say the same for Dami Im. Her version sounds like generic, music industry diva-of-the-moment pap. Joe Cocker was much better. I probably would have enjoyed it even more had I not listened first to Johnny Cash and Michael Stipe, both of whom did brilliant covers.
Dami Im’s version was horrible. Joe Cocker’s version was good, although I thought it was a little too Cockerized. I’m patenting that adjective, by the way. Cowboy Junkies did a great job. The singer’s voice is great; I’ve always liked it. I bought their first album after hearing their cover of Sweet Jane, which was terrific. The rest of that album was also really good. I bought one or two more of their albums, but then lost interest. I love Johnny Cash’s version.
The Cowboy Junkies material I’ve heard tends to be pretty low-key. I like their low-key cover of “Powderfinger”, and they make a nice contribution to a Gram Parsons tribute I have. In this case, they low-keyed me into indifference and to the brink of boredom.
The second act tried too hard to offset the first band’s shortcomings, but went too far in the other direction. She sounds like a Whitney Houston wannabe.
Joe Cocker wins by default, buoyed by my liking of his earlier work.
Joe asks “did I disappoint you?” yes, Joe you did, more than I can say in one word…
Joe gets my vote. The violin and organ in the arrangement was a plus. Dami Im went off the rails in a pop stylist tries to show off her pipes with overdone production dynamics way. I liked the subtle rendering of Cowboy Junkies or was it simply the great video which showed Josh Groban whose girlfriend loses faith in him upon hearing his cover of Straight To You, then reuniting when she couldn’t resist his woeful, sullen mug, only to be stripped again of fair maiden and plunged in his mullywug with the dagger of karma when word got around to the boys. Nick Cave fans all, you can just tell.
Dami Im, Dami Im, Dami, Dami, Dami … No one pushes Dami Im around … or if they do it’s not for long …