Audio Bites: L'esprit de Musique

Houstatlantavegas by Sonnymoon (Drake Cover)

Have you ever heard a remake of a song that makes you question which version you like more? A couple summers ago I downloaded Golden Age, an EP done by Anna Wise and Dane Orr, because I realized their potential back then. (Some of you may recognize her name from Kendrick Lamar’s song “Real” on good kid, m.A.A.d city.) The majority of the album was original work but right towards the end, there was this gem. In music, we call this a cover. When the duo signed to their label, Golden Age was re-packaged for sale & distribution around globe, but this song was left off (probably for copyright and other legal reasons).

I spent the summer introducing Sonnymoon, purely through their music, to those who hadn’t heard of them before. I used “Houstatlantavegas” because Drake had recently become popular in the U.S. and people would have recognized it. Through discussion with my other music school buddies, I eventually came to the conclusion that I couldn’t compare the two. The lyrics are exactly the same. However, Dane’s interpretation & his production sets the stage for Anna’s jazz-infused vocals. It’s like a perfect blanket for a female voice telling the exact same story.

A cover is supposed to be as good as, if not better than, the original. To me, this cover measures up just because Sonnymoon creates another unique way to imagine the same scenario. I think of it like this: if we put two painters with palettes in front of canvases with the same sketch, will they fill it in the same way? 

*A note to Drake enthusiasts*: Please listen with open ears. 

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Written by Kay.DS