James Morrison “Lithium (Nirvana Cover)”/ “I Won’t Let You Go (Live Performance)”
Nirvana’s Nevermind pretty much changed the life of everybody of a certain age (and some older than that) upon it’s release in 1991, and with the legendary album celebrating it’s twentieth year of existence this week, we were bound to get plenty of artist tributes emerging from some unlikely places.
Tag this one under “unlikely”: a live remake of the collection’s classic third single “Lithium” for BBC’s Live Lounge taken on by none other than blue-eyed soul English singer-songwriter James “You Give Me Something” Morrison that, at the risk of being the target of a buttload of digital tomatoes, surprised us in actually being something we could digest well beyond a single, curious sampling.
Morrison may never be able to survive the vicious wrath of purists with this, but his rendition, a respectful and pleasantly-balanced rock & soul fusion heightened by his smoky vocal stamp, the soulful punch of his background singers and a backing arrangement that offers an interesting coffeehouse twist on the original’s much-treasured loud-soft dynamic, hits our ears just fine.
Catch the performance alongside a live spin on current cut “I Won’t Let You Go”, the first single from his third album The Awakening (out now in the UK, due October 11th in the States).
DL: “Lithium (Nirvana Cover)” (alt)
