Blues Alley photo courtesy of the DC Government
I had an interesting discussion tonight about cover songs. Covers are both a pretty funny idea and a bad idea most of the time. Many covers, like the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Give a Little Bit,” are basically chord-for-chord rehashes of the original. This makes me wonder why in the world anyone would do an identical rendition of an already good song. Is it worth the time and energy to record a song that is identical to the source material? To me, that’s the worst kind of music, because a lame cover not only sounds bad, but it cheapens the original’s appeal as well. So why even do it? Great question.
This discussion was particularly appropriate today, because I also learned that Jacqui Naylor is going to make an appearance at Blues Alley tomorrow night (1073 Wisconsin Ave., NW). As a deep, sultry jazz artist, Jacqui adds an interesting element to pop and classic rock covers. She adds an impressive mix of both nostalgia and modernity into her work, and they almost remind me of a period piece set in the 30s–sort of like the South Seas Club in The Rocketeer.
The covers don’t sound like the same songs; in fact, “How Deep Is Your Love” doesn’t sound like the Bee Gees at all. This, of course, is a good thing. Also check out “Summertime” (which sounds awfully similar to The Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post”), “Miss You,” and “Shelter” on her Web site here.
I’ve been listening to her most recent album, “You Don’t Know Jacq,” tonight, and she seems to be very adept at mixing genres, even when logic suggests that they don’t go well together. I don’t know if her music signifies a new genre in music or not (“jazzic rock,” perhaps?), but that doesn’t really matter to me. What matters is that these covers sound fresh.
Ultimately, the real indicators of music should be pretty simple: 1.) does it sound good? and 2.) will it sound good when I listen to it again? The answer to the first question is, yes it does sound good. Quite, actually. What will my answer be to the second question? Stay tuned for a follow up post. While I’m a jazz newbie, I always like late-night music and this fits the bill for now.
Jacqui will be playing two shows tomorrow night: 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Blues Alley web site or by calling 202-337-4141. I won’t be able to make it, and that’s too bad. The music scene has been pretty anemic around here for the past few months, and I am in the market for a decent show. If you go, let me know how it is.
Also, I can’t guarantee that the typical Georgetown crowd will abstain from attending, but Jacqui seems to be a little too sophisticated for the popped collar scene.










