Finding the Rhythm

Another thought on remakes

March 24, 2009 at 12:20 pm Leave a comment

I promise that one of these days soon, I’ll stop talking about remakes / cover songs. But just a day after my “quality shines” post, I receive an e-mail from Almighty Records advertising their latest release:

Almighty Records Solicitation

After just saying in writing that it’s about the quality and that covers shouldn’t matter, I gotta say, I have issues with this.

For a start, My Life Would Suck Without You is a current hit song, not something where the lights have faded away and it’s ripe for a recharge.

Secondly, My Life Would Suck Without You already has a slate of dance remixes that are quite strong with Kelly Clarkson singing her own song in them. Why on Earth does Almighty think we’d need more to choose from?

Thirdly, Almighty—whose production work is almost universally strong (I’ve been a huge fan for years)—failed at this one in my view. The production work is formulaic, predictable, and thin, and as much of a fan of Jamie Knight (one of Almighty’s house vocalists) as I am, her voice just doesn’t lend anything here.

The result is exactly how I see this release to start with: a cheap knock-off, rushed to market in an attempt to cash-in on someone else’s success. Every sale that Almighty manages to make with this song is likely a sale not going to Kelly Clarkson’s record label. (The only positive is that as a co-writer, Clarkson will get some royalties from the deal.)

I have to give Almighty credit for coming-up with this clever idea. But if you’re going to hock fake Rolex watches on the street corner, so to speak, then your “Rolex” should probably not have the faux gold plating peeling off the band, and a loose second hand rolling around the inside of the bezel.

Simply put, Almighty have brought nothing new or innovative to the table. It’s just a knock-off, and not a real great job of it at that.

As long as we’re talking about Almighty, Jamie Knight, and cover songs, I might as well reveal my own semi-double-standard in the process. One of their recent projects was a cover of Leona Lewis, who was herself covering Snow Patrol, of the song Run. Neither Lewis nor Snow Patrol had an officially released dance remixes that I’m personally aware of, nor was Lewis’ version some chart smash success. And in the case of Run, Jamie Knight’s stunningly beautiful, energetic and flawless vocal resonates alongside Almighty’s strong production work. I love the track, I spin it regularly, and people enjoy it.

So. Maybe it does come down to quality afterall…

Entry filed under: Dance Music, Dance Music Industry. Tags: Almighty Records, Jamie Knight, Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Rolex, Snow Patrol.