There's something about a great R&B song that lends itself well to the cover treatment. Maybe it's the emotional intensity of the lyrics, or the soulful vocal delivery or the challenge of making a club beat work on an acoustic guitar.
With the rise of R&B's popularity, artists from rock, pop, indie and country are taking note and making covers, with varying degrees of success.
Here are some of the most notable R&B covers, for your listening pleasure.
Original: "I Miss You," Beyoncé
Cover artist: the xx
This track was co-written by Frank Ocean, which makes sense given the sparse, '80s style production. It's a slower tempo for Beyoncé, but still has some energy. The xx take it and stretch it out, really giving weight to the sadness of the lyrics and the haunting tone of the song.
Original: "High for This," the Weeknd
Cover artist: Ellie Goulding
British pop singer Ellie Goulding remains faithful to the general song structure and melody, but brightens up the moody atmosphere with her warm delivery. It's highlighted by layered vocal samples acting as punctuation points.
Original: "Wicked Games," The Weeknd
Cover artist: Coeur de Pirate
Warning: contains explicit language.
This song is full of vulnerability, which is clear in both versions of it. Montreal artist Coeur de Pirate takes a piano and voice approach, and hits home with every swear word and gut-wrenching note. I saw her perform this in concert, and you could barely hear her over the roar of the crowd. A fan favourite for sure.
Original: "Independent Women," Destiny's Child
Cover artist: Elbow
It's not all sadness and regret in R&B songs. Let's have some fun with this jangly, quirky, live version of Destiny's Child anthem from the Charlie's Angels soundtrack. Brit band Elbow recorded this in a BBC Radio 1 session, which then got some popularity after an animated video with cats playing instruments made the rounds on the internet. We all love cats, but here's a better-sounding version of the song.
Original: "The World's Greatest," R. Kelly
Cover artist: Bonnie Prince Billy
There may not be a lot of overlap between R. Kelly and Bonnie Prince Billy fans, so you could be forgiven for thinking this is a BPB original. The American songwriter takes this ode to a boxer and strips it down, revealing the beautiful vocal melody that may have been lost in the original.
Original: "Climax," Usher
Cover artist: Dirty Projectors
Another live performance, this one courtesy of Australia's Triple J studios. The Dirty Projectors are known for their harmonizing and quirky vocal delivery, which is very strong at points in this song. However, if you can't sing as high as Usher, you might want to avoid a song that requires a vocal climax.
Original: "No Ordinary Love," Sade
Cover artist: The Civil Wars
The currently-on-hiatus country duo have many cover songs under their belt, including this Jackson Five jam. However, this Sade track perfectly shows off their skills, making the song intensely more dramatic than the original.
Original: "Thinking About You," Frank Ocean
Cover artist: Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith
The internet is full of Frank Ocean covers, many of them nowhere near the quality of the source material. This version remains very close to the original, but what's most interesting about it is Bieber's sophisticated delivery. A sign of things to come?
Do you know of any cover songs that can be added to this list? Or any non-R&B songs covered by R&B artists? Share your suggestions below for inclusion in a future article.
Related:
Torch songs for the bitter
Molly Johnson's funk favourites
Group Therapy: R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet
Bettye LaVette's 'favourite female singers' playlist