Few will balk if you happen to surprise them with a random spinning of The Specials’ spook n’ ska classic “Ghost Town”, but try pre-warning the same crowd with an announcement that you’re going to play a cover of the song that’s completely sung in Portuguese and draped in a Brazilian folk sound, and the reaction might not be as immediately positive (Odds are, you’ll be met with a couple seconds of confused stares and uncomfortable silence).
Still, if only for curiosity’s sake, we’d recommend you give this remake, handled by London male/ female duo Zeep (formerly known as the “Underwater Love”-producing Smoke City) a listen: Yeah, vocalist Nina Miranda’s breathless purrs are seducing, temporarily fooling you into believing she’s trying to romance a boy toy rather than sing of her neighborhood’s ills, but it’s the jaw-dropping way they recreate the original’s familiar musical elements in a breathtakingly dreamy Tropicália context that’ll truly woo you in.
One of many great world music-inspired treasures to be found on their stellar new album, People & Things.
Ska/ reggae-loving London singer-songwriter Nick Harrison offers something feel-good and bright in these shivering cold months with new single, “Something Special”, a sunny indie-pop romp with a pulsating disco groove about sad-eyed nightclub beauties.
Tucked beneath it’s happy rhythmic galore, Harrison’s lyrics hone in on a girl whose forlorn demeanor isn’t completely hidden by the strobe lights that flash around her. “Tragically dressed she arrives/ Holding her head off the dance floor,” notes Nick, his every taunting wail ending in a trail of quivers. Anxious to pull the slut-uniformed gal out of her doldrums, Harrison steps to her with the self-esteem-building advice: “You’ve been given something special/ When you put it to good use,” adding with a tinge of doom that if she doesn’t at least attempt to recognize those attributes and follow a different life path, she’ll surely “pay the price”.
Alas, his words end up falling on deaf ears (“You said you couldn’t change for me”), but that doesn’t stop Nick from recanting his good will urgings as she disappears back into the crowd or make the gleeful dance chug he’s pieced together feel any less infectious.
Head on over to Harrison’s MySpace and check out other mood-raising offerings like the breezy “Honey” or ska-loping delight, “Oi Rude Boy”. Below, snatch up a quite genius mash-up of “Something Special” with The Specials’ “Ghost Town”:
As nice as it is to get free music, think of how much better your soul would feel if you purchased it the old-fashioned way.
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Come on, use Amazon or iTunes and help support your favorite artists so they can continue to give us the great sounds we love.
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(MP3 posts are for promotional and/ or previewing purposes only; if any artist or their representation wish to have the links removed, contact me and I will happily comply!)
Few will balk if you happen to surprise them with a random spinning of The Specials’ spook n’ ska classic “Ghost Town”, but try pre-warning the same crowd with an announcement that you’re going to play a cover of the song that’s completely sung in Portuguese and draped in a Brazilian folk sound, and the reaction might not be as immediately positive (Odds are, you’ll be met with a couple seconds of confused stares and uncomfortable silence).
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