Adele "Last Nite (The Strokes Cover)"/ "Right As Rain"
One of the greatest pop songs of the aughts, “Last Nite” has such a catchy, familiar melody that could work in any number of various styles (hell, The Strokes blended about five or six in their own treatment) that it’s a wonder it hasn’t re-charted around the world in a billion different sounding versions by now (we’ll forget that awkward cover/ Blondie mash-up Vitamin C flopped with last year ever existed).
With her smoky soul pipes, 2008 UK up-and-comer Adele could’ve easily taken “Last Nite” in an interesting R&B-tinged direction (sort of like the Jumbonics here), and the ballad-y intro, with her vampy vocals deliciously spread over a lone guitar backing, hints that is exactly what’s about to go down. But then her supporting band just as soon jumps into a mimic of The Strokes’ post-punk-meets-Motown stomp (down to the guitar solo), instantly transforming what was being birthed as an inspired revamp into a less appealing, slick karaoke session.
DL: “Last Nite (The Strokes Cover)” (YFH)
Unlike “Last Nite”, Adele thankfully sounds like she’ll live up to all she seems to promise on her debut album, 19, which, based on early reviews, actually supports (some of) the hype she’s been bombarded with since “Hometown Glory” was introduced to the public.
Album track “Right On Rain” should land as a fan favorite. Wrapping her mature soul chops amidst a perky, ’60’s piano-pop groove you could envision someone like John Legend bopping along to, Adele ironically grasps the down times in life as a moment to celebrate (“Who wants to be right as rain/ It’s better when something is wrong”). Some may take this as a sort of pessimistic outlook, but the woman actually has a point.
True happiness never really lasts forever, so instead of wasting so much time searching for an unrealistic eternal bliss, take a second and get a kick out of life when you’re down in the dumps, two months behind on rent with no one to share a bed with. You end up learning so much about yourself and it all results in you embracing a refreshing sense of fearlessness.
“I give up on this endless game,” she belts at a no-good lover, daring him to “Go ‘head and steal my heart and make me cry again/ ‘Cause it will never hurt as much as it did then”. Only because she followed her own advice could she work up the nerve to dismiss him so nonchalantly.
Adele, you might fail at meeting our high expectations when covering The Strokes, but when it comes to your own material, you definitely get an A+. Plus, as it turns out, you’re not a bad life coach either.
DL: “Right As Rain” (YFH)
Ever since I first heard of Adele she catched my attention. I’ve preordered her album and can’t wait for it to fall in my hands. She really has something, I’m still unsure what it is… Thanks for both songs, they’re both fantastic.
Oh! Thanks for introducing me to Matt Costa. I had never heard of him but that song made me more than curious.
Love your blog!
bossanovalife.blogspot.com
have you heard the detroit cobras version? although they kind of annoy me in general, their version (which was on the rough tade 25th anniversary album thing) is really good.