- Brian Justin Crum’s cover of ‘Creep’ by Radiohead (live 2016 version)
- Every time I listen to this version, I end up in goosebumps or tears or both. I am never prepared for the sheer depth, rawness, vulnerability and power that Brian conjures with and from his voice. To tell an emotional story of such massive contrasts – from the smallest, lowest place, to the summit vista, and right back down again – in two and a half minutes – is godlike.
- Peter Bence’s cover of ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Freddy Mercury
- It goes without saying that Freddy Mercury was one of the most prodigiously charismatic and expressive singers, period. So just imagine the obscene levels of charisma and conviction required to render a Queen song even more electrifying and energising than the original. Impossibly, that is what virtuoso pianist Peter Bence has done. The explosion of a soaring Db major Bohemian Rhapsody fragment out of the F major motor of ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ towards the end of the arrangement gives me goosebumps every time.
- Frank Sinatra’s cover of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ (1964 studio version, remastered 2008) by Bart Howard, first performed by Kaye Ballard in 1954
- Sinatra has become synonymous with classics like Fly Me; we often forget that he, too, was recording a lot of those tunes as covers. His versions were just so darn good that they’ve pushed the originals into obscurity. Here Sinatra’s voice is pure class and oozes a timeless magnanimity. The only thing that makes me smile more broadly is the ripper arrangement – just listen to those horns!! Absolute perfection.
- Tamir Grinberg’s cover of ‘Shvurei Lev’ (Those With Broken Hearts) by Hanan Ben Ari (live 2021 version)
- This is one of the most heartrending performances of any song I have ever heard. Like Brian Justin Crum, Tamir Grinberg dug deep in a live performance in a televised competition and produced soul searing, catharsis-inducing pathos unlike I had imagined was possible. The original song שבורי לב (‘Shvurei Lev’ – Those With Broken Hearts) was written by Israeli pop star Hanan Ben Ari in 2020, in Hebrew; Grinberg’s version is in English. Take the time to listen when you can afford to cry.
- CHUTNEY ft. Sarit Michael’s cover of ‘Kama At Yafa’ (How Beautiful You Are) by Kobi Aflalo
- Is it sneaky to include one of our own? This was our debut single, released in December last year. We covered Israeli pop song כמה את יפה (‘Kama At Yafa’ – How Beautiful You Are) written by Kobi Aflalo and popularised by superstar Shiri Maimon in 2012. Like a lot of Israeli pop music, the original has a ‘Mizrachi’ feel, leaning on Aflalo’s and Maimon’s own Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian ancestry. We transformed it into an epic symphonic rock power ballad, resuscitating Russian composer Rimsky-Korskakov’s ‘Scheherazade’ from the recesses of our past classical training. The lyrics speak potently of resilience, truth and the hope for a better future and it remains one of our most emotionally evocative tracks.
