Thursday, June 4, 2009

Between the Covers:: Jay Brannan vs. Jann Arden

Although he didn’t realize it when his label submitted a cover track to us, Jay Brannan is teetering on a slippery slope. Sure, we appreciate the fact he’s busting out a cover of one of Canada’s most well known female artists but man, he probably had no idea that Shane’s wife is one of Jann Arden’s biggest fans and any song would be judged critically.

I’m not one for covers, but the inevitable drama makes it impossible for us NOT to dust off an ole segment we call, Between the Covers. So sit back, relax and see how this NY singer fares against one of Canada's most recognized singers.

Jann Arden – Good Mother
Honestly, I’ve never really listened to Jann Arden much, so I tapped Petra for the back story. Apparently, this is one of her all-time favorite songs so I am not really looking to knock it down. Honestly though, you’d have to be a complete asshole to tear down a song with the message this one delivers. She enjoys the upbeat melody and apparently live, Jann also rocks ~~the~~ some bells. All and all, young Mr. Brannan has a tough task ahead of him to win her over.

Jay Brannan- Good Mother
Jay is one of those artists that truly blossomed thanks to the internet. In the blink of an eye, he went from recording tracks on youtube and selling them to fans via myspace to a record deal with Nettwerk. Not a bad jump if you ask me. Normally I avoid covers like the plague, but honestly, these songs aren't ones that people really want to hear and obviously mean something to Brannan.

The nicely titled In Living Cover features seven covers and two Brannan originals. He tackles tracks by Ani, Jann, The Cranberries, Joni and Dylan, which is pretty bold but that pretty well sums up Brannan’s life. His take on Good Mother is slower, letting his finger picking and voice do the majority of the work and plays well with the style his fans expect from him.

Verdict? Well, Petra would be surly if I said Jay's take was better and no offense to Mr. Brannan, but I'd rather him be pissed than her. Either way, he does a nice job on a touching song and from what I've heard of the cover LP, it's definitely worth a listen.