Kae Sun can count himself amongst the larger-than-I-would-like collective of folks that I meant to cover late last year but didn't get to for one reason or another. I've said that most of the records in that stack were Canadian hip hop, but although Kae Sun's earlier material might've been more hip hop-orientated (and featured him rapping much more), his recently released full-length debut, Lion On A Leash, finds him favouring a more traditional singing style.

A number of those songs have a real reggae feel, and so it's no surprise that Kae would try his hand at a Bob Marley cover. It might, however, be a surprise to learn that Kae (aka Kwaku Darko-Mensah Jr.) doesn't hail from the Caribbean at all, but rather Accra, Ghana, where he was born and raised until relocating to the Hammer with his family. That said, no Caribbean heritage is no matter for Kae Sun, whose album contains some of the most emotive & heartfelt vocals I've heard in a while, and his songs often deal with being strong in the face of struggle - which Marley himself was certainly familiar with.

Anyhoo, I've heard that folks enjoy the Bob Marley, and so, in loo of a review post of Lion On A Leash from yours truly, I thought this cover would be the perfect way to introduce folks to Kae Sun and entice you to check out his album. Well that and the fact that it's pretty damn good. Either way, enjoy.

MP3:: Kae Sun - Natural Mystic (Bob Marley Cover)
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/kaesun

VIDEO:: Kae Sun - Lion On A Leash

Labels: Bob Marley, Cover, Kae Sun, Matt Dillons Soul Patch

We like to offer you fine folks a little something enjoyable with these Friday Fun posts, and we have exactly that today. How about a cover of the Dylan Blonde on Blonde classic I Want You from Toronto's Rock Plaza Central? I Want You is often considered one of Dylan's best, and it's been covered plenty before, but its literary lyrics seem like a perfect match for Chris Eaton's storytelling style. The accompanyment of plucked banjo and sweeping strings that pick up steam as the song goes along, before breaking into a near gallop and then falling in a hush, is also pretty fantastic. This is a good one.

Word on the street is that we're the first Canadian blog to post this, so big thanks to RPC and Stagefright PR for thinking of us. So get it for yourself, and check out RPC's last album ...At The Moment Of Our Most Needing Or If Only They Could Turn Around, They Would Know They Weren't Alone if you're new to the band.

MP3:: Rock Plaza Central - I Want You (Dylan Cover)
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/rockplazacentral

Labels: Cover, Dylan, Friday Fun, Rock Plaza Central