Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tallest Man on Earth-Graceland (Cover)


The Alexander track yesterday got me on a folk tip, I'll roll with it for a second. The Tallest Man on Earth is a favorite of this blog, and his music just continues to sound better with time. While some critics harp on his high level of nase (I think I just made that up), its uniqueness simply adds to many reasons why the TMOE is one of the best new artists out right now. And with most of his songs simply consisting of his voice and a guitar, it ain't hard to tell that the Swede has not just come to terms with his nasallyness, but has wholeheartedly embraced it-putting it out naked in front of the audience in each song with very little in the way of distractions.

In this jamandahalf, the TMOE does two things that I think are essential when artists put out a cover song. 1-the song has to be a complete remake of the original, and 2-the cover has to make you think at least for a half second that it's better than the original. The all time showcase for these theories is Hendrix's Dylan cover "All Along the Watchtower," but this cover does its best to challenge those lofty heights. Completely stripping the original to its bare foundations, the Swede performs a nuanced and stirring take on the Paul Simon classic, paying homage to the original, but in the end making it completely his own.

Thanks to SunsetintheRearview

 Graceland (Paul Simon Cover) Jamandahalf.com by jammininthenameof

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