By Maurice Davis:
Maurice Davis singing Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah,” a song originally composed by Leonard Cohen.
[Editors Note: Recorded with a professional studio, Maurice’s sound quality on this acoustic cover song music video is top notch. His voice and finger-picking skills clearly make this song a perfect fit for him, and we hope you enjoy these six minutes of peaceful, if somber, music.]
Fall 2011 Season: Every other Friday
Run Dates: September 9th – December 30th
Coming Attractions:
This season includes nine episodes and a wide range of talent — by far, the best series of Guest Sessions ever released heretofore on the Laptop Sessions blog. Performers range from individuals in their bedrooms to full bands performing. The artists being covered run the gamut as well: from Elvis Costello to Wiz Khalifa, and Sam Cooke to Phish. For the first time ever in Laptop Sessions history, we will feature an acoustic cover song music video performed in a different language.
PLUS: We’re still waiting for the perfect video for our December 30th season finale, so keep those acoustic cover song music video submissions coming. This is your opportunity to be featured on the LS blog! (Click on the “Guest Sessions” box in the upper right hand corner of the Laptop Sessions homepage for details.)
All this and more will be coming to you every other Friday for the rest of the year, so check back and check back often:
You won’t want to miss even one episode of the Fall 2011 season of the Guest Sessions cover song music video series!
By Chris Moore:
Welcome back for another installment of this year-in-review list series, brought to you by the Weekend Review. Tonight, I’m happy to present the top fifteen vocal performances of 2010. Some, like “In Vain or True” and “White Blank Page,” are impressive for their use of complex vocal arrangements. Others, like “Machine Gun” and “Memories” are notable for the emotive quality of Sara Bareilles’ and Rivers Cuomo’s respective performances.
There have been some excellent vocal performances this year, ranging from the raw vulnerability of Steven Page’s cover of “Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure” to the unleashed quality of Alison Mosshart’s lead on “Gasoline.” This was one of the most difficult lists to assemble, as the great vocal leads of the year run the gamut in various ways. So, I’ve done my best to assemble and rank these tracks, taking into account the quality of the individual voices, the emotion behind each delivery, and the overall coherence and interest potentially generated by each vocal.
Without further ado, here’s the list, and be sure to check back tomorrow for another list in this end-of-2010 series!
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCES of 2010
1) “In Vain or True” – Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper, & Joseph Arthur (of Fistful of Mercy; As I Call You Down)
2) “White Blank Page” – Marcus Mumford (of Mumford & Sons; Sigh No More)
3) “Machine Gun” – Sara Bareilles (Kaleidoscope Heart)
4) “Memories” – Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer; Hurley)
5) “Please Move” – Kevin Devine (of Bad Books; Bad Books)
6) “Thieves” – Zooey Deschanel (of She & Him; Volume Two)
7) “Gasoline” – Alison Mosshart (of Dead Weather; Sea of Cowards)
8) “I Have Learned” – Ed Robertson (of BnL; All in Good Time)
9) “Only the Ocean” – Jack Johnson (To The Sea)
10) “Summer Sun” – Ben Thornewill (of Jukebox the Ghost; Everything Under the Sun)
11) “The Chorus Girl” – Steven Page (Page One)
12) “Ain’t No Grave” – Johnny Cash (American VI: Ain’t No Grave)
13) “The Dance Class” – Rhett Miller (of Old 97’s; The Grand Theatre, Vol. 1)
14) “Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure” – Steven Page (A Singer Must Die)
15) “Don’t Look Down” – Philip Selway (Familial)
By Jim Fusco:
Welcome to another episode of The Laptop Sessions with me, Jim Fusco! I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since my last video- the time is flying lately. Now that things are coming along nicely with the new house (driveway is in and the grass is looking better), I hope to start enjoying everything a bit more soon.
Today is a record-breaking day here on the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog. Today, the site got it’s highest view count EVER: over 5,600 hits and still counting! Yes, most of these hits were to the homepage, which is great. But, the part I’m very excited about is the fact that close to 200 of those hits have been to “deep” pages on the site (past posts, etc.)! That’s a pretty big deal, especially considering that just a couple months ago, the site was getting only about 200 views a day- total! So, the promotion I’ve been doing seems to be working nicely.
Now, you would think that, after last week’s article, I would be playing on my new Martin MMV guitar tonight. But, some sad circumstances lead me to this new video- the first in a long time on the piano.
“The Long and Winding Road” is a song by the Beatles that everyone knows. It’s one of those songs that you hear in a restaurant, a department store, and the radio from time to time. It’s a great Paul McCartney song that appeared on the “Let It Be” LP, but I personally like the one on “Let It Be…Naked” better. Even though I found the chords with the words “Capo on 1st fret” above them, I transposed the chords to piano on the fly and let this one rip. As with most Laptop Sessions cover songs I do, it’s SO much easier when I already know the words by heart. Chords are easy to remember because they’re logical- for instance, if the sound goes up (in pitch), then chances are the chord goes up (in pitch). So, I almost always instantly remember the chords. But, when you have to think about lyrics, things get difficult.
Tonight, I dedicate this cover song music video to my good friend and colleague, Diane. For the past year and a half, she’s been my SAVIOR at work. She works down at the warehouse our company uses and is always so helpful. She’ll get anything done instantly- she’s truly the best. She’s made my life so much easier over the time I’ve been with the company. Plus, we’ve come to have countless conversations over the phone and we’ve always had a great relationship. It’s even possible that we’re distantly related! We’ve been out for drinks after work on a few occasions, as well, and we always have a great time.
But, unfortunately, the higher-ups at my company decided to move to a different warehouse. I understand- business is business. But, I know I’m not the only one that’s going to miss Diane terribly- she’s that valuable to my working life. Hey, maybe she’ll want to move to Florida and work at the new place! 🙂
Anyway, months ago, she requested “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles as a Laptop Session after she began watching my videos. She waited patiently for a long time. But, Steve (of the Traveling Acai Berries) was very, very busy and we couldn’t find the time to get-together and play this song on camera. The goal was to bring Steve’s electric piano in, too.
So, when I heard the news about Diane no longer working with me, I knew I had to record “The Long and Winding Road” for her. Now that I have Becky’s piano in the house, it was easy to set everything up and record one of my more unique videos. I think it came out great (especially the way I got the audio to record) and I hope it will make Diane realize how much I’ll miss her. Plus, what a perfect song (subject matter) for the occasion.
Thanks for stopping-by for this edition of the Laptop Sessions in HD with Jim Fusco. Stay tuned for a special “26th Birthday” post by me next Thursday night and then two weeks from now, I’ll be back with my first cover song music video on my new Martin MMV acoustic guitar. Have a great week and enjoy “The Long and Winding Road”, one of our many Beatles cover songs!