A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

MORE THAN ADEQUATE COVERAGE: In the hopes of starting a new semi-recurring feature around here, I'm proud to give you installment #1 of a variant of iTunes' iMix feature. Basically, I'm going to provide 10-15 tracks organized around a common theme of some sort, some of which you've probably heard of, others, not so much. The first theme? Cover songs--this is a collection of 15 covers that in some way reinvent the song and (usually) improve on it. Song title links take you to iTunes (unless noted as linking to Amazon).

1. 10,000 Maniacs, "Because The Night," from "MTV Unplugged." The Maniacs cover a song previously recorded by Patti Smith and written by Patti Smith and the Boss himself. Natalie Merchant's delivery couples with a quiet piano carrying the melody in the verse, and then, on the chorus, Merchant lets loose. It reminds me of why I bought Merchant's first two solo records, and makes me wonder what happened to her. (Amazon)
2. Shawn Colvin, "Every Little Thing (He) Does Is Magic," from "Cover Girl." Sting's peppy love song from "Ghost In The Machine" gets slowed down, unplugged, and slightly Vegas-loungified by folk-rocker Colvin. The truly scary thing? It works, brilliantly.
3. David Wilcox, "Missing You," from "Big Horizon." You've assuredly heard the 80s version of this by rocker John Waite, in which he almost screams "I ain't missing you at all!" as a seeming declaration of independence. Wilcox's version transforms the song from the angry version of Waite into a lament--it feels more like he's trying to persuade himself that what he's saying is true, giving added emphasis to the remark in the song "I can lie to myself."
4. Annie Lennox, "A Whiter Shade of Pale," from "Medusa." The whole "Medusa" album is covers, but this is probably the one that is strongest and best known. What we think of a soul ballad is turned into a quasi-electronic piece that plays up the song's strange quasi-symbolism and lets Lennox show off her vocal chops.
5. Barenaked Ladies, "Lovers In A Dangerous Time," from "Greatest Hits, Volume 1." Leave aside the gorgeously pretty vocal track, this is an example of the Barenaked Ladies not clowning around, but showing off their real and substantial musical chops, with gorgeous piano and drum fills carrying along a loping rhythm. It's like they're sitting in the dressing room jamming and you get to listen. Wonderful.
6. Jessica Riddle, "Sadly Beautiful," from "Key of A Minor." You've probably never heard of the album, much less the obscure cover of a Replacements song that appears on it. Shame. Riddle takes a song meant to be sung to a child, and turns it into a song about a child, and about herself, making it about her own fears of abandonment. The whole album's great, and foreshadows recent pop developments (the reemergence of the female singer/songwriter).
7. Jewel, "Have A Little Faith in Me," from "Phenomenon: Motion Picture Soundtrack." This song is so good that even Mandy Moore's version of it is good. Jewel's voice and her acoustic guitar plea for your love and attention--and at the end, you want to believe in her, to believe with her. (Amazon)
8. Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World," from "Facing Future." Yes, it's the song Mark Greene died to. Leave that aside. Any time someone sings "Over The Rainbow," they're dwelling in the shadow of "The Wizard of Oz" and of Judy Garland. That's a long shadow, and this is the only cover I can think of that makes it beyond there. The gently strumming ukelele, coupled with the almost whispered vocal, makes this a classic.
9. Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, "Romeo & Juliet," from "Rites of Passage." Neither this one nor the original Dire Straits version (from "Making Movies" (my bad!)) ever got too terribly much airplay on the radio. Knopfler's version has its charms, with his dark and raspy delivery, but, to me, Ray's cover is superior--you hear her pour out her soul, pleading for her "Juliet" to come back to her, and that passion transforms the song.
10. Dixie Chicks, "Landslide," from "Home." The biggest radio hit on the list, both in its original version and in this cover, but don't let that make you think the song isn't any good. The Chicks' version adds a banjo intro to the track, and adds a slight loping bluegrass edge to the quintessential pop song, and again, it works, almost perfectly.
11. Everclear, "Brown Eyed Girl," from "Songs From An American Movie, Volume 1, Learning How To Smile." This one doesn't exceed the original (a tough task, since IMHO, the original is one of the few close-to-perfect songs out there) but brings a charming indie-rock jangle to the Van Morrison classic. The whole album is actually an underappreciated gem, particularly the funny and sarcastic track "Unemployed Boyfriend."
12. Fiona Apple, "Across The Universe," from "Pleasantville: Motion Picture Soundtrack." Almost the opposite of the veritable trainwreck at this year's Grammys, Apple's ethereal voice carries the cover at though you're in a smoky jazz club, bridging the gap between the modern era and the past perfectly, and serving the film ideally. (Amazon)
13. Frou Frou, "Holding Out For A Hero," from "Shrek 2: Motion Picture Soundtrack." I didn't like "Shrek 2" much. That said, this cover is just wonderful, particularly the half a cappella/half electronic intro of nonsense syllables strung together. The cover takes the cheesy 80s classic from "Footloose" and brings it into the 21st century. And that's an achievement.
14. Tori Amos, "I Don't Like Mondays," from "Strange Little Girls." Tori is a strange little girl herself, and this cover of the Boomtown Rats' classic about a school shooting works perfectly for her, letting her creepy side show. Part of my love for the song stems from its use over the closing scenes of a great episode of West Wing, but it's still great.
15. Toby Lightman, "Operator (That's Not The Way It's Supposed To Be)," from "Everwood Television Soundtrack." Except for an extended mix of Blake Neely's beautiful orchestral theme song and Jump, Little Children's "Cathedrals," the entire "Everwood" soundtrack is contemporary artists covering 60s-70s classics, and Lightman's cover of Jim Croce's old song is one of the high points. Lightman's whole debut album ("Little Things") is gorgeous too--demonstrating that she's, at least in my view, a talent comparable to Joss Stone, who, y'know, we love around here.

Thread below's open for what I missed or disagreements on the subject.