How many times have you heard a cover of a classic to think to yourself “what is so new about this version?” sadly, the art of covering classic tunes has turned into nothing more than a karaoke party among some of the strongest artists in the industry. Sometimes, when you look beyond the word cover, a fresh take of a classic song lies beyond the play button. Coming off quite the calendar year with the release of their War Out There EP gaining quite the attention of the world wide web; NYC based Alt-Soul duo 8 Graves took a listen to the 1988 Tracy Chapman hit Fast Car and gave it a nearly 30 years overdue update.
For those who remember the song, it is an acoustic guitar driven folk pop track that had a bit of a melancholy coffee shop feel. For the current music culture, the sound of a folk track may not attract the same listener that it could have 30 years ago. This is why 8 Graves injected a little 21st century flare to the dusty old track. By giving a rich piano into the song, duo has kept the melancholy feel. Though, the song’s lyrics still carry a very similar emotion making it an easy addition to the track. Then, deeper into the track, you’re hit with the upbeat portion.
Hold up! You might be asking yourself “How in the world can such a track become upbeat?!” Simple, you inject a little what sounds to be a drum machine that gives it a little chill dance floor beat. When the song hits the chorus, the tempo picks up in a way that gives the song a stronger immersion into the emotion of empowerment.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve never been the biggest fan of the original version as it had this really dark overtone. Yet, by giving it a sound and adding a new emotion to look at that really isn’t highlighted in the original allows the listener to look at a classic in a new way. Now ladies and gents, that is how and why you do a proper cover!