Everyone knows by now that I love a good cover song and have spent many a nights coming up with my own dream covers. Oh no, not like that. I can’t sing at all – I just imagine which artists should cover which songs. So I was excited to hear what someone like Ingrid Michaelson and her side project, Army of 3, could do with some of the most overplayed songs in recent years on their debut EP Army of 3.
You may remember Ingrid thanks to her delightful hit “The Way I Am” that’s likely garnered its own healthy amount of covers, but now it’s her turn and she and group dove right in for the big ones. Let’s take it step by step since there’s only four and we have the time. First up Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” which she managed to make less creepy while still making use of its killer musical set up. Why change something if it’s ain’t broke, right? Then there’s Rihanna’s “We Found Love.” I’m not a fan of that girl, so I was happy to hear them remake this into something I could actually listen to, although she stayed true and it was still something one could dance to.
Those two fell in the middle while these next two were the bottom and top. Let’s be like Drake and start at the bottom with one I wish was made drastically different but sounded like basically the same song – their version of Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.” I wish it’d had been unidentifiable but it wasn’t. That leads up to the best of Army of 3, like Rihanna, I can barely stand new Maroon 5 BUT their way with “Love Somebody” was on point. I loved that it was an entirely new song.
When you set out to cover songs that are ingrained into society, it can be rough and you may want to keep it the same, go all out or nudge it just a little. Army of 3 did all of that within the four chart toppers that when they decided to give a go at on Army of 3. If you liked them by their original artists, then take a chance on them now. Army of 3 is out now.
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