Prince Covered By Incubus, Alicia Keys, Foo Fighters, Darius Rucker, Jordan Knight

DAILY TRIVIA QUESTION:   What unique recording trick did Prince use on his Lovesexy CD?   Yesterday's Answer: Green Bay Packer's Aaron Rodgers

"LET'S GO CRAZY"     INCUBUS

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing we call life".   Couldn't believe Incubus tackled this iconic Prince jam but there they were performing the cover on Jimmy Fallon's show. Along with the The Roots, Brandon Boyd and the band tore into the Purple Rain classic for a raucous rock fest.  The studio version of this song will be released on Monuments & Melodies, the upcoming Incubus' 2CD Greatest Hits and Xtras.  

"HOW COME YOU DON'T CALL ME ANYMORE"  - ALICIA KEYS

From Alicia's debut CD, Songs In A Minor, comes her interpretation of the Prince piano ballad.   Talk about a life changing moment, Alicia was offered a contract with Columbia Records and accepted to Ivy League's Columbia University at the same time.  This song really showcases Alicia's classical piano training,  her incredible variety in her voice, and hints at her sexy, flirty side.   A faster remix with the Neptunes and Justin Timberlake was also released but this piano with vocal version is my favorite.

"DARLING NIKKI"  FOO FIGHTERS

Prince has gone public and said they should outlaw cover songs.  He said, "There's this thing called compulsory licensing law that allows artists through record companies to take your music at will without your permission.  That doesn't exist in ANY other art form....there's only version of Law & Order but many versions of Kiss and Purple Rain."  Prince especially dislikes the Foo Fighters cover of Darling Nikki.  During his Super Bowl Halftime Show, he covered "Best Of You" by the FF as a kind of retaliation.  What do you think about cover songs?   Personally I think, if done well, they only make you love the song that much more!

"I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN"  - JORDAN KNIGHT

New Kids On The Block's Jordan Knight covering Prince?  What?  Not only does he cover the song, he slows down the tempo, loses the killer guitar solo, but emphasizes the sensual lyrics.  It's probably the best solo song Jordan's ever done.  "I asked her if she wanted to dance and she said that all she wanted was a good man and wanted to know if I thought I was qualified" :)

"PURPLE RAIN" - DARIUS RUCKER 

I like the guy on YouTube's comment, "Holy crap, I wanted to hate this but I can't".   Darius (aka Hootie) changes the mood of the Prince song by bringing out the soulfulness of the lyrics.  As the song progresses, Darius gets more inspired by the message and you can feel how much he loves singing this song.  Darius used this song as his closing number when he opened for Brad Paisley's H2O Tour.

     

Regulate: West Coast Rap Classic: Prince, Warren G & Nate Dogg (R.I.P.), Michael Lynche

"COMPUTER BLUE"   PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION

Growing up in Minneapolis in the mid-80's was a special experience.   I attended concerts at First Avenue, have friends in the movie "Purple Rain", met Prince's dad, Lisa, Wendy, Jessie Johnson, Terry Lewis,....I could go on and on.  Prince's talent and especially his unmatched creativity in pushing the boundaries makes him a true musical genius.  Take his debut album: He wrote every song, produced it, AND played every instrument on it!  "Computer Blue" is an ever-changing blues, funk, rock, jazz, killer guitar jam.   It's complex, sexual, and a perfect example of how Prince "owns" the crowd when performing live.   

"REGULATE"   WARREN G. and NATE DOGG

LOVE This song!   It's been a ringtone of mine forever, classic storytelling mixed with the perfect California hip hop beats.    Check out one of the funniest Wikipedia posts ever:   
 http://www.thebookoffreak.com/shootin_the_shit/warren-g-regulate-wikipedia-synopsis

It's a play-by-play rundown of this West Coast rap anthem told in plain English without the rap slang.   Here's a sample:  
Observing these unfortunate proceedings, Nate realizes that he may have to use his firearm to deliver his friend from harm.
The tension crescendos as the robbers point their guns to Warren’s head. Warren senses the gravity of his situation. He cannot believe the events unfolding could happen in his own neighborhood. As he imagines himself in a fantastical escape, he catches a glimpse of his friend, Nate.

"THIS WOMAN'S WORK"  MICHAEL LYNCHE

From American Idol 2010, St Petersburg's Michael Lynche finished 4th overall.   But he left one of the biggest impressions that season.   During Hollywood Week, Michael received a call that his wife had gone into labor early and had his baby.   With emotions at their apex, Michael covers the perfect song for the occasion, "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell (and originally Kate Bush), you will see the reaction it got.