Whenever I'm asked to rate anything, I'm stingy about giving the highest or lowest grade. Whatever I'm evaluating has to be pretty extraordinary to receive an A from me and virtually without redeeming qualities to elicit an F. For me, much of the world falls at or around B- territory.
Today, however, I heard a cover song that deserves no less than an A. Until today, I didn't know that the group Fanny released an excellent cover of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar" in 1972. (Thank you, YouTube algorithms, for recommending this to me based on my previous song choices.) The piano playing brings the underappreciated band Joy Of Cooking to mind, and the wailing slide guitar reminds me of Led Zeppelin's "The Lemon Song." Everything--vocals, guitar, piano, and drums--clicks perfectly here. This is how you cover a song--by being faithful to the original version's spirit while putting your own stamp on it. These four women pulled off a perfect remake, and I'm floored that I've never heard it on the radio or any streaming service.
