Here we enter the often dubious realm of the cover song. I love a good cover song. I’ve hated many cover songs too. There are many opinions about what makes a cover song successful. For me it’s that a band truly recreates a song within its own style and genre. A cover song is successful in my eyes if a grand homage is paid to the original band while being able to translate it into another musical language.
Let me prelude this review with a little information: I am certainly not the world’s biggest Radiohead fan. Don’t get me wrong, I think that Radiohead is a brilliant band. I am just not going to compare any of these songs with their originals.
Exit Music: Songs for Radio Heads is compiled of a mix of artists within the hip-hop and dance genre. There are a few gems on the album, which include the stand out track with Pete Kuzma featuring Bilal covering “High & Dry,” as suave, jazzy melody intertwine with smooth, enticing vocals, making it hard to resist the groove. Other favorites include the a horn filled peppy dance party version of “Just” by Mark Ronson featuring Alex Greenwald, and “Nice Dream” by Matthew Herbert featuring Mara Carlyle, showcasing sensuous vocals layered on top of electronic beats.
As I said, I love a good cover song and I’ve hated a couple cover songs too. This album is no different. Within my list of what makes a cover song successful, I would have to concur that all of the artists on this album do just that. However, some are just a little more pleasing to the ear.
