There is a small pantheon of songwriters in my world order that is absolutely sacred… I sorta feel like sometimes, you just shouldn’t mess with greatness.  At the very top of that list is Adam Duritz from Counting Crows. There is no other songwriter whose lyrics I identify with more… That said, it’s hard for someone else’s version of a Counting Crows song to grab me immediately. In fact, I can’t really think of one…

But, there’s a first time for everything.

Seven or eight months back, I got switched on to a band from New Zealand called Midnight Youth (see previous blogs here and here ).  Their 2011 album World Comes Calling rocked my world so hard that it made #2 album on the Best of 2011 list. I started following their lead singer, Jeremy Redmore, on Twitter.  He’s fairly interactive there and writes a lot on his own personal blog…which is where I was visiting this evening, listening to a demo he posted from the road.  That’s when I noticed another link on his SoundCloud page that said “Goodnight Elisabeth.”   Clicked and yup, it is indeed a Counting Crows cover.

And it’s really, really freaking good.  Heart wrenching and beautiful – an exceptional take on the original.  I love when an artist can take a song, cover it and maintain the integrity of the original while at the same time making it their own.  Jeremy’s definitely done that on his cover.

Bonus (and this is why I love Twitter!)… Asked him about it on Twitter, and he just made it downloadable for fans!  Ya’ll need to go listen and snatch it up now. Just hit the little down arrow to the right in the player below (you may need to sign in or set up a SoundCloud account).

While you’re at it, check out his band, Midnight Youth.  Guarantee you will love ‘em.

Midnight Youth: Web | Facebook | Twitter