Alan Pownall “Love Lockdown (Kanye West Cover)”
I know, I know. Covers/ remixes of “Love Lockdown” seem so 2008 right about now, but this stripped-down rendering of the 808s & Heartbreak lead-in by buzzworthy London singer-songwriter Alan Pownall is still worth mentioning.
Effectively recreating the track with a swampy, New Orleans-styled grit that explodes into a disparate acoustic playground on the hook, Pownall’s down-home take ultimately sounds like it could have been the original (and dare we say, superior) “Lockdown” incarnation that Kanye covered instead.
If Kanye truly was as much of the musical genius he tirelessly claims himself to be, he’d use this remake as inspiration for an entire re-release of Heartbreak with other “true” singers and organically-woven framings attached. At least, before somebody else does and reaps all the critically-acclaimed benefits.
That’s funny, I actually felt the same way when I first heard it, you could probably convince someone that Kanye covered this version.
this is the sexiest, grittiest, nastiest thing i have ever heard in my life. it sounds like dirty new orleans filthy sex. its so damn good.