What is going on, friends? Welcome to my weekly
mixtape, the show that takes the classic mixtape
approach to building a modern playlist. I'm your
host, Brian Colburn. And so far this year, I
have done a 2025 wrap up with D .T. Carel of
Space Castle, as well as a country roundup. Did
you really think I was going to go into 2026
and not wrap up my favorite cover songs? of 2025.
No, that wasn't going to happen. So here we are.
I have put together a list of 10 of my personal
favorite cover songs that I think you need to
check out this year or next year or any year
for that matter, because these covers are all
top notch prime A. Now, let me get into why I'm
such a fan of cover songs first and foremost.
I know a lot of people think, well, you're just
kind of taking someone else's music and rerecording
it. That's not necessarily the case. One of the
things I love about cover songs is you're taking
another artist's art and reimagining it in your
own voice, your own style. I'm not necessarily
a fan of a color by numbers cover, meaning you're
playing the song exactly as it was on the original
album. Sometimes I'm okay with it, but I love
to hear when artists bring what makes them unique
as artists and puts their stamp on another song.
And I think the songs that I've chosen tonight
highlight that for the most part. There are a
few that stay close to the original, but there's
still nuances and flourishes of what I love about
the covering artists. that shine through on these
versions. Now, here we are in December, and I've
already seen tons of articles featuring 10, 20,
30, even 50 different cover songs. There are
so many out there. I could have gone on for hours
and hours and hours on this topic, but I always
like to leave those volume twos open for down
the road. So 10 songs it is, but I also want
to know what cover songs out there. really move
the needle for you this year. So please reach
out to me, myweeklymixtape at gmail .com. You
can also hit me up on almost all the social media
haunts at myweeklymixtape. You can use the contact
page at myweeklymixtape .com, or you can join
the Mixtaper community at patreon .com forward
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to other music fans out there. And then obviously,
if you want to check out the full back catalog
of My Weekly Mixtape episodes. as well as hear
a playlist of all the songs I'm about to talk
about tonight, as well as see their accompanying
music videos, you can visit the episode page
over at myweeklymixtape .com. So let's waste
no time getting into these top 10, at least for
me personally, cover songs of 2025. And I want
to kick things off with a band that over on the
My Weekly Mixtape Discord, we have talked a lot
about. This is a group called Weakened Friends.
Based out of Portland, Maine, their album Feels
Like Hell, which was put out on Don Giovanni
Records, has really made a lot of waves this
year, and they have been touring all over the
place, really putting some support behind this
album. And at the end of it is a song that they've
been covering live for a while now, and there's
now a studio version of it, and it is of Edna
Swapp's Torn. Now, there might be some of you
that are sitting there going, who is Edna Swap?
Well, Edna Swap is the group that recorded this
song called Torn that a few years later was made
popular by the one and only Natalie Imbruglia.
Yes, I'm talking about that torn. I'm all out
of faith. This is how I feel. Cold and I am shamed,
lying naked on the floor. You know the exact
song I am talking about. Now, this is a song
that. A lot of people don't even realize the
hit version by Natalie Imbruglia was a cover.
All the way back in season one, there was the
Wait, That's a Cover Song episode that I did
with Jay Sweet. Spoiler alert, this is one of
those songs because a lot of people, when I mention
Edna Swapp, they don't know who I'm talking about.
But as soon as I mention Natalie Imbruglia, there
it is. They know exactly what I'm talking about
because she's the one that put the song. on the
map internationally for fans all over the world.
Now, Torn has been covered by a lot of groups.
Neck Deep did a version about 10 years ago. 20
years ago, a group called Off By One did a fast
pop punk version of it. There are tons of covers
of this song. However, Weakened Friends version
really drives this 90s, I don't want to call
it grunge because that might be pigeonholing
the song a little more than I want to. But there
is a grunge vibe to their version. It is sludgy.
It is slowed down and it is deliberate in its
delivery. And I think it's extremely powerful
for that. Now, the average listener is going
back and thinking about Natalie Imbruglia's pop
version, where it's very light, very fluffy.
I don't want to use the word saccharine because
that almost sounds like a negative. natalie's
version i think it's a great song edna swaps
version is a little bit more alternative rock
so it still has that lighter feel but it's definitely
more driving than natalie's version and the other
ones i mentioned neck deep and off by one are
definitely leaning more towards the punk side
of things this version by week and friends leans
towards edna swaps original but slows it down
and really draws out the emotion of the lyrics.
And the delivery of this is both powerful and
dare I use the word haunting. Her vocal delivery
on this track demands you stop what you're doing
and listen to what she has to say. And this was
one that as soon as I heard it said, this is
definitely making my top cover songs of 2025,
even though they had been playing it live prior
to 2025. Because Feels Like Hell came out this
year, it makes the list and is definitely one
I highly recommend checking out. The entire album
is a banger. If you haven't heard Weekend Friends,
you are going to be hearing about them in 2026
because this album has lit a fire under the rocket
that has been kind of exploding for them all
throughout 2025. So kicking things off tonight,
Weekend Friends cover of Edna Swapp's Torn. And
I think I'm going to follow that up with one
that, for me at least, is fresh on my mind because
just a few weeks ago, I had the honor and privilege
of having Jared Reddick of Bowling for Soup on
my weekly mixtape to talk about 30 years of pop
punk humor, heart, and debauchery, all things
Bowling for Soup. I highly recommend you go back
and check out that episode if you haven't heard
it already. But during that discussion, we talk
about the band's approach to cover songs. And
they've done a lot over the years. They have
an entire album dedicated to cover songs. That's
called Don't Mind If We Do, and it came out in
2023. And one of the things we talk about, I
don't want to give too much away, is the fact
that Jared can hear a song and immediately know
that they need to put their spin on it. And one
of the songs that they released in 2025 is a
cover of Taylor Swift's Actually Romantic from
The Life of a Showgirl. Now, that album came
out in October of 2025. And the beauty of modern
music, as this is something that could not have
happened 20 and 30 years ago, in November of
2025, Bowling for Soup's cover dropped. The fact
that you could take a song that is still just
starting to generate a buzz and put your spin
on it almost immediately. is a side of the music
industry in the last decade that was never around
in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even early 2000s for
that matter. You are able to hear a song and
immediately get to work on your version of it
if the song resonates with you. And Jared talks
about how they did that back in 2023 covering
Miley Cyrus' Flowers, which ended up on that
cover's album. And they're doing the same thing
again here. But I want to be very clear, this
isn't just Bowling for Soup re -recording Taylor
Swift's song and releasing it. They're putting
their own spin on it. This is, for all intents
and purposes, a Bowling for Soup song that just
happened to be written and recorded by somebody
else a month earlier. So if you're a Taylor Swift
fan or a Bowling for Soup fan, I highly recommend
you check out Bowling for Soup's take on Actually
Romantic, as well as my sit down with Jared Reddick
from a few weeks ago. You will not be disappointed.
And I think for the next song, I'm going to stick
with the punk mindset. However, I'm going to
flip the script a little bit because Bowling
for Soup did a punk cover of a song that wasn't
a punk song. So now I'm going to go with a cover.
That was originally a punk song, but in this
version, it's no longer a punk song. Although,
punk is a state of mind, not necessarily a sound.
So this fingerstyle acoustic guitar version by
Luca Strigagnoli is punk rock, regardless of
if he's doing it on an acoustic guitar or not.
And this is a cover of Dropkick Murphy's I'm
Shipping Up to Boston. Luca's style of playing
is one that needs to be studied. And I hope sometime
in 2026 that I can have him on the show to dive
into the finger style approach a little more
in depth because I am absolutely fascinated by
finger style guitar players. Now, when you listen
to this track, I want you to immediately note
that this is all done. on a single guitar by
one person live. There are no overdubs in fingerstyle
guitar playing, at least on this track. There
are some fingerstyle guitarists that do add other
things and other elements to their studio recordings.
But this is just Luca and a guitar, nothing else.
So when you're hearing the beat, the melody,
and the strumming, it's all happening. From his
two hands. Simultaneously. It is an art form.
It is what 99 % of the feeds that I have. If
I'm scrolling on social media. Pop up. Mind -blowing
guitar playing. Stuff that I watch it. And I
have to watch it two, three, four, five times
in a row. Because I just can't imagine how someone's
brain. Can make them do what they're doing. To
make the guitar sound that way. To make a single
instrument. Sound and feel. Like an entire band.
It is truly an art form. In and of itself. And
this is the kind of stuff that. I don't think
people talk about in the mainstream. But for
certain. When these videos pop up on their 4U
feeds. They immediately share them. But I feel
like artists like this. deserved to be more in
the mainstream spotlight. Because this is a style
of music that takes a special kind of talent.
And Luka is just that. He's put out several covers
this year, and I was having a hard time deciding
on which one to go with. However, because we
did Weekend Friends and Bowling for Soup in the
beginning, I felt kind of sticking with that
punk theme was the way to go. However, he also
does a cover of 50 cents in the club. Yes, he
does a hip hop cover on acoustic guitar, and
it's got just the same bouncing vibe as 50s original.
And he also does Bruce Springsteen's streets
of Philadelphia on a triple net guitar. That
one I have to advise you go watch the video for
because I cannot explain this guitar. You just
need to see it for yourself. Words cannot do
it justice. Just like my words cannot do Lucas
playing justice. I'm Shipping Up to Boston is
a killer Dropkick Murphy song, one of my absolute
favorites. And Lucas single -handedly made it
just as punk rock on a single acoustic guitar.
So following up, Weekend Friends Torn and Bowling
for Soups, actually romantic, I'm shipping up
to Boston by Luca Stricagnoli. And while the
next song kind of deviates away from punk a little
bit, there's still going to be that punk rock
spirit and mentality because this artist actually
has produced a ton of punk and pop punk artists,
such as the aforementioned Bowling for Soup,
Avril Lavigne, American Hi -Fi. Quiet Drive,
Fall Out Boy, Green Day, just to name a few in
the punk world. And then outside of the punk
world, he's produced artists like Billy Idol,
The Struts, Weezer, Lit, Katy Perry, and Pink.
And that's just scratching the surface. Alongside
of his incredible resume of production work,
he also fronts The Marvelous Three and has an
incredible catalog of solo material. Butch Walker,
one of the premier producers on the planet, as
well as an incredible musician who I would go
on record to say is one of the most underrated
songwriters in this modern era. Now this year,
Butch is covering an incredible band of musicians
in and of itself. There's been a couple of tribute
albums that came out in 2025. Not as many as
I'd like to see. Now, I am a fan of tribute albums.
The one that immediately jumps to mind, I think
the biggest one this year would be the Can't
Get Enough, a tribute to Bad Company that came
out earlier this year. And while that came really
close to making the list tonight, I actually
am going to go with Let's Go Dancing, the songs
of Drivin' and Cryin'. An Atlanta rock band that
was formed by Kevin Kinney back in 1985. And
just like Butch Walker, I think falls under that
underrated category. Even though they had albums
on Island Records and they were a major label
group, there's still an underrated aspect to
their career and their legacy. They blend hard
rock, southern rock, a little bit of Americana,
maybe some folky stuff in there. Kevin Kinney
is such a prolific songwriter. And I am so glad
that a bunch of artists came together to pay
tribute to him and the songs of Drivin' and Cryin'.
Now, Butch's contribution to this album is a
cover of Fly Me Courageous, the title track to
their 1990 album. If memory serves me correct,
it is the band's highest charting single. Now,
this cover features Jeff Sullivan, who was the
drummer on the original recording of Fly Me Courageous.
And this is probably the most faithful to the
original cover that I have on my list today.
Is it a color by numbers cover? No, there is
definitely Butch's stamp on this song. However,
by bringing Jeff Sullivan on board, the song
is going to keep the original swing. So there
is going to be some similarities to the original
because he's the one who kept the groove on the
original track. And that stays intact here. But
Butch added his nuances to the song to really
make it his own. And this is a song that I'm
not sure everybody out there listening knows
the original and knows the cover. So if you haven't
heard Driving for Cryin' Fly Me Courageous, please
do yourself a favor and pick up that album. That
is the perfect starter album for going down the
Driving and Cryin' rabbit hole. And when you're
done with that. Start working your way down Kevin
Kinney's discography. You will not be disappointed.
But Butch Walker is always at the top of my list.
He always brings something special to his covers.
I've talked about his take on Taylor Swift's
You Belong With Me in the past. And here we are
once again with Butch Walker doing Butch Walker
things and bringing the amped up energy to an
already amped up classic driving and crying track.
There is no way I could have done this episode
tonight and not talked about this one. So closing
out the first half of this 10 cover songs of
2025 playlist, I want to go with one that I talked
about on the country episode of 2025. And that's
somebody that I saw open for Shinedown earlier
this year. Yes, I said country and I said Shinedown.
So if you're intrigued by that statement, I highly
suggest you go back and check out The episode
just before this one, The Sound of Country 2025,
12 standout songs that define the year. Yeah,
I had to add an extra two to that one. But if
you are a country fan, this episode is for you.
And if you're not a country fan, this episode
is for you. Intrigued? Check it out and find
out. But anyway, I spoke about this one artist
in that episode, and I'm going to speak about
her again. And I actually talked about this song
for a little bit. in that episode. So if you've
heard that episode already, I might repeat a
couple things here, but I'm coming up with this
off the top of my head, so it might be all new.
Regardless, Morgan Wade, absolutely love her.
Have been a fan since I first interviewed her
with Jay Sweet back in the Toon Styles days,
which that episode can be heard back in season
one. If you search the episode page at myweeklymixtape
.com. That interview was recorded back before
her debut album Wilder Days came out, but there's
still a ton of great stuff that came out of that
conversation, which is why I still recommend
people still check it out here in 2025. But this
year she released her newest album, The Party
Is Over Recovered. And then a few months later,
which I've talked about before, I'm not a big
fan of doing the deluxe edition shortly after
an album is released. However. On the deluxe
edition of The Party Is Over, she put out a cover
of Radiohead's Creep using a string section version.
Now, compared to the original, the arrangement
is similar. It is dialed back a little bit. And,
well, it's got a string section in it, if you,
you know, Captain Obvious here. But this one,
I really want to focus on her vocals. She took
some liberties with the vocals that Tom York
doesn't do on the original track. She hits some
high notes that Tom doesn't, even though he does
hit the epic note at the end that it's just one
of my favorite moments of 90s music. But I digress.
Morgan's version, she hits some higher notes
in the verses that gives these moments where
it stands out from the original. Then in addition
to that, the string section in it is just gorgeous.
And it takes this song to a completely different
level. where it doesn't have the heft of Radiohead's
original because it is stripped back. But even
though there's no distortion and heft in that
regard, it comes on the heels of her voice alone.
And some of the lines she delivers gives me instant
chills and makes the hair on my arm stand up
when she's singing it. This is a really, extremely
powerful version of this song, my all -time favorite
Radiohead song. Don't at me, please, if you're
a Radiohead fan. I understand there is a lot
of love or hate depending on where you stand
in your Radiohead fandom. But this is my favorite
Radiohead song. And Morgan Wade does it justice
and then some. So as far as I'm concerned, the
perfect way to close out this first half of the
Sound of Cover Songs 2025, which kicked off with
Weekend Friends Torn, originally recorded by
Edna Swapp. Followed up by Bowling for Soup's
Actually Romantic, originally recorded by Taylor
Swift. Luca Strickagnoli, I'm Shipping Up to
Boston, originally recorded by Dropkick Murphys.
Butch Walker featuring Jeff Sullivan, Fly Me
Courageous, originally recorded by Drivin' and
Cryin'. And Morgan Wade's Creep, originally recorded
by Radiohead. Head over to myweeklymixtape .com
to hear all the songs I've discussed in this
mix through the playlist embedded. on the episode
page. All right, now to kick off the second half
of this Sound of Cover Songs 2025, or just moving
right along if you've been listening to the playlist
itself because you don't flip playlists over,
but I digress. I am going to stay in something
that would be in the same vein as Morgan Wade's
Creep. Now, at the top of the show, I talked
about what I love about cover songs, and one
of the things I didn't mention. is sometimes
a cover version introduces you to an artist.
And this is definitely the case in terms of my
next song choice. While I live in the US, I am
a huge fan of Triple J's long -running show,
Like A Version. And thank God there is a YouTube
channel that uploads all of these performances
because I have discovered so many great artists.
Through the Like A Version series. It's all cover
songs. And once again in 2025. It happened again.
And this time I was introduced. To a group called.
The Folk Bitch Trio. Which is also a folk group.
No shit. Out of Australia. Who released their
debut album. Now Would Be A Good Time. In 2025.
Now here we are towards the end of 2025. And
I am just discovering this group. because of
their cover of Kings of Leon's Sex on Fire for
the Triple J Like A Version series. Holy harmony,
Batman. These three ladies can each front their
own band and be the lead singer. Their vocals,
each of them, are incredible. And then when you
put them together, it is the chef's kiss absolute
perfection. Their version of the song, starts
off very similar to Kings of Leon with that overdriven
guitar sound. However, beyond that, it is an
acoustic guitar, the overdriven guitar, and these
ladies' three vocal parts. And they take turns
singing lead on it. But when their voices come
together, it is glorious. Everything I love about
vocal harmonies and then some. Their voices together.
literally made me stop dead in my tracks. It
adds a layer that the original doesn't have,
and there's less instrumentation happening. There
is a power and heft to this version that completely
blew my mind. Because of the three -part harmonies,
there's a part of me that wants to immediately
lean towards the chicks. However, I feel like
they have their own unique style and sound. It
doesn't feel as country -esque as... The Chicks
do. This definitely feels more folky and more
Americana -like. However, there's a heft to it.
And I have not, as of this recording, listened
to the album, but it has immediately been put
in my queue because I feel like this is going
to be a band I'm going to be listening to a lot
in 2026, thanks to being introduced to them by
a cover song. So thank you, Like A Version. Thank
you, Triple J. And... Thank you, Folk Bitch Trio,
for this incredible cover of Sex on Fire. You
guys knocked it out of the friggin' park. But
since I mentioned the chicks, I feel like the
next seamless transition would be to go to them.
However, they haven't put out anything in 2025.
That said, they have been covered in 2025. That
being by Cody Johnson, who did a gender -flipped
version of Travel and Soldier. And when I look
back at the songs we've talked about so far,
Bowling for Soup, Morgan Wade, and Folk Bitch
Trio have all been gender -flipped covers. Something
I absolutely love. Because right from the jump,
you're getting a unique version. Now, depending
on if the artist chooses to keep the lyrics the
original way or not, plays a role into that.
And that's something that Cody Johnson did in
his cover of Traveling Soldier. I feel like that's
similar to how the white stripes handled Jolene
when they covered it way back in the day. I love
that, that they kept the original attack. It's
paying homage to a song that this artist loves
and not changing the original intent. Now that
said, does it bother me when an artist gender
flips a song and changes the meaning? No, it's
all how they want to interpret the song and Cody
Johnson's version. It's a little more, I don't
want to say rock because it's definitely a straight
ahead country song. But Traveling Soldier by
the Chicks leans more towards bluegrass. And
this one, I don't want to say is rocked up a
little bit, but it's definitely more of a country
song than the bluegrass style of the Chicks version
from Home. And when you think about it, it's
kind of the flip -flop 180 reverse of what the
Folk Bitch Trio did to Sex on Fire. They stripped
it down to two guitars and three vocals and Cody
Johnson added more to his version. But they're
still showing love and paying homage to the original.
I can listen to Kings of Leon's Sex on Fire followed
by Folk Bitch Trio's Sex on Fire back to back
and enjoy it the same way I can listen to The
Chick's Travelin' Soldier followed up by Cody
Johnson's version of Travelin' Soldier. Yes,
it's the same song, but in each instance, it's
two very different experiences. So by playing
them back to back, it doesn't feel like, oh,
I'm just hearing the same song. I just heard
that. No, it feels like you're getting something
completely new and fresh, even though lyrically
it's the same. Now, he has been playing this
song live for several years. There's a version
on YouTube of him performing it from years back.
60 plus million views however he recorded an
actual studio version of it now in 2025 so if
you're wondering why am i bringing it up it's
actually released as a single in 2025 i'm not
referring to the version from three years ago
different performance different recording him
officially releasing it as a single gave me the
out to talk about it here in 2025 and it's that
good of a single if you haven't heard it i highly
suggest Checking it out if you're a fan of country
music, the Chicks, or Cody Johnson, all three.
And as I'm looking at how this list played out,
at least from Morgan Wade's Creep onward, I could
have probably done an entire episode of country
cover songs in 2025 because I'm going to stay
with something that, in hindsight, I probably
could have followed up Sex on Fire with. However,
I didn't. And I'm not changing it because I don't
feel like going back and recording everything
I just said. Anyway, Folk Bitch Trio's Sex on
Fire was a gender flipped cover originally by
Kings of Leon. And the Dead South did a gender
flipped cover of one of my favorite Concrete
Blonde songs, Joey. Now, I might lose some people
on this one. I'm not quite sure because the Dead
South are a bluegrass group. And over the last
decade and change, there have been bluegrass
groups like Hasty Dixie and Steven Seagulls that
have come out and done tributes kind of with
their tongue firmly planted in cheek. And they
are of heavier songs. They're of rock songs.
They're of metal songs. And while I love both
of those groups. Sometimes people, at least in
the comments section, see them as almost a novelty
act and they overlook the talent that these groups
have because they're doing songs like Thunderstruck
on a banjo. And it almost in that TikTok social
media form is eye catching and becomes viral
just based on that alone. And it's tough because
when you think about Jeanette Napolitano's unmistakable
voice. and you say, well, here's a bluegrass
cover of it. It might be hard to sell, but the
Dead South play this cover straight. They bring
the darkness that the original has. Now, I don't
mean the darkness I believe in a thing called
Love the Darkness. I mean the lyrical darkness,
the darkness behind the song's meaning. They
honor that, and they play it in bluegrass form,
but there's never a moment that you think, that
there's any novelty aspect to it. Now, I personally
don't see that with a lot of Hacey Dixie and
Steven Seagal songs unless they're going overly
into it. Because there is a song by Hacey Dixie
called I'm Keeping Your Poop in a Jar. I think
there's a novelty aspect to that song. And if
they meant that seriously, well, that's a conversation
for a whole nother episode because I don't know
what to do with that one. And with Steven Seagulls,
when you're doing metal songs in bluegrass form,
people are going to see a novelty to that. And
I think that sucks because you're overlooking
such incredible talent. And I don't want that
to happen on this cover of Joey because the original
is powerful and it's moving. And the Dead South
version honors that while reinventing it. And
that's a tough thing to do. And I am sure there's
going to be some concrete blonde fans out there
that disagree with this cover. And I respect
that because this one is a big jump. The original
has pain throughout the song. And when you go
into that bluegrass sound and you hear the instrumentation
at first, you might think those emotions are
going to be stripped from this song. And it's
the exact opposite. The pain from the original.
Shines through in this version. I want to say
in a similar fashion. To the way the pain of
Nine Inch Nails Hurt. Shines through in Johnny
Cash's version. While we're talking two different
songs. And two different emotions at play. Between
Hurt and Joey. I feel like the sentiment. From
the original to the cover. Translates well across
the genres. So you're getting. a different version
of that pain from the original. And it's done
in such a honorable and poetic way. So if you
haven't heard this, the Dead South's cover of
Joey has to be on your list for 2025. And coming
out of that, I think I'm finally going to move
away from the country, bluegrass folk, Americana
stuff, at least for the last two songs here.
And this next one. I heard for the first time,
believe it or not, on Thanksgiving Day, during
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, when this
artist came out and performed a duet, quote unquote,
it's the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, so no
one's actually performing, lip synced a duet
with Whitney Houston. And I thought it was odd,
but I was stopped in my tracks because I knew
the song. And it was, I want to dance with somebody.
But it wasn't fast. It was now a piano ballad.
And I'm talking about Callum Scott. And this
version is on his 2025 album, Alvin Noir. At
first, I wasn't sure what I thought about it.
Because this is a song that for decades I knew
as an upbeat dance song. And here I am hearing
it for the first time as a ballad. And they only
did... like a half a verse and a chorus before
they talked over it and moved on to the next
thing. So I had to mute the TV and bring it up
on streaming. Like I said, streaming does have
its purposes every now and then. And I listened
to it all the way through. And from the first
listen until the probably 50th listen that I've
listened to it this year since Thanksgiving,
I'm blown away by this version. The original's
embedded in my 80s DNA. I heard that song so
many times on FM radio, I can almost feel like
when I listen to it, I hear the FM radio static
within the song. But here's this version where
it's just piano and it starts off with Whitney's
voice. And you immediately think, oh, God, he
went AI with this. And I had to immediately do
some research. And thank God he did not. He did
this the right way. He got permission from Whitney's
estate. and got a hold of the original vocal
track, which, if you know the song, it's Whitney.
It's unbelievable. So I'm sure there's somebody
out there going, well, the original artist is
on the track. Is it really a cover? Yes and no.
There's been a lot of these over the years where
they'll take an artist's vocals and turn out
a dance version of it but bring on another guest.
Kygo's done it twice, once with Whitney on the
remake of Higher Love. I want to say that was
like 2019. And then a year later, he did a version
of What's Love Got to Do With It with Tina Turner.
Are they covers? Tributes, reimaginings, remakes.
I feel like they all kind of blend in here. So
if you're going to at me on this one, I understand.
But this version is so unique. And it made me
listen to the song in such a different way that
I felt like I couldn't do this episode and not
talk about it. even if there is an asterisk in
the corner, because it's not just Callum Scott
doing it alone. Although he proved during his
verses, he very easily could have performed it
with just his voice alone and done an incredible
version of the track. However, the harmonizing
between him and Whitney's voice really make this
one special. And I talked about the harmonies
that the Folk Bitch Trio brought to Sex on Fire,
the harmonies that Callum does with Whitney on
this version. are gorgeous. And it takes a song
that you think is an upbeat dance song and turns
it into a song that could be used as a first
dance at a wedding, could be used as a slow dance.
It completely changes the meaning and intention
of the song in such a beautiful, powerful way.
And once again, it's an instance that I can listen
to Whitney's version followed up by this duet
version. And I feel like I'm getting two completely
different experiences. And that's what I love
about a cover song. So, Asterix or not, Callum
Scott and Whitney Houston's I Want to Dance with
Somebody definitely makes the 2025 Sound of Cover
Songs list, in my humble opinion. Now, if the
penultimate song of this playlist struck a nerve
with some people, I'm sure my closer will too.
And this is one that I watched live as it was
happening, at least on a live stream, of course,
as I'm here in the U .S. And this took place
in Villa Park at the Back to the Beginning concert.
And yes, I'm talking about Youngblood's Changes,
which was originally recorded by Black Sabbath.
I've been a fan of Youngblood since 21st Century
Liability. I've talked about him on the Songs
of 2025 episode that just came out two weeks
ago, if you haven't heard that. It's a spoiler,
but I won't say where I went with my pick because
Youngblood's done a lot of stuff this year. But
that said, this cover of Changes that took place
at the Back to the Beginning concert was nothing
short of a career -defining moment. To me, it
goes on the level of Hart's performance of Stairway
to Heaven at the Kennedy Center Honors. Now,
obviously, when Hart walked out on stage, everybody
knew who Hart was. And that version of Stairway
lives in infamy because of how Ann Wilson knocked
it out of the park. The difference with this
is not everybody in the audience, especially
on streaming, knew who Youngblood was. People
in attendance knew who Youngblood was because
he is popular on that side of the pond. But he's
still growing here in the U .S. And while he's
becoming more and more popular, this lit a rocket
under him here in the U .S. And while I don't
usually like to dive into what people are saying
online when it comes to stuff, because unfortunately
people just love to trash everything online and
it's really toxic and really dangerous and something
I'm just not a fan of, I actually wanted to see
what people were saying. And as he was performing
this, there was a ton of Who is this guy? Now,
not in the way of in the movie Major League when
they were looking at the roster going, who are
these frigging guys? This was really, who is
this? Because he slayed this performance and
was blowing the minds of metalheads from generations
earlier who are not fans of current music. And
I'm not saying that speaking about them. I am.
saying what they were saying online. Meaning,
I haven't listened to new music in 20 years,
but this kid has something special. Now granted,
when you have Nuno Betancourt of Xtreme on guitar,
Frank Bello of Anthrax on bass, drummer two of
Sleep Token on, you figure that one out, and
Ozzy's keyboardist Adam Wakeman, the backing
band, is top tier. But if Youngblood's performance
didn't hit the way it did, it probably would
have just been a passing song in that all -day
amazing celebration of Ozzy's life. The last
time the world would see Ozzy perform live. But
Youngblood's vocal performance was so powerful
in this one. You could see why Ozzy was trying
to pass the torch to him in interviews leading
up to the Back to the Beginning Festival. You
could see why Aerosmith Steven Tyler and Joe
Perry wanted to work with him this year. I understand
why Youngblood's polarizing, but he is insanely
talented. Changes is not an easy song to sing.
Ozzy's vocals in his prime is not easy to pull
off. And not only did Youngblood pull it off,
he had the crowd in the palm of his hands singing
along with him. And this version? After the year
that I've had personally in my life that I've
talked about on other episodes, it hit me in
the feels when I watched it live, and it's hit
me in the feels every single time I've heard
it. We lost one of the founding fathers of metal
this year, one of the most influential names
in hard rock and metal. And during his last performance,
Youngblood put himself on a different tier by
simply honoring somebody who he looked up to.
and the performance speaks for itself. Grammy
nomination for best rock performance and all.
And as far as I'm concerned, is the perfect way
to close out the second half of this Cover Songs
of 2025 playlist, which kicked off with Folk
Bitch Trio's Sex on Fire, originally recorded
by Kings of Leon, followed up by Cody Johnson's
Travelin' Soldier, originally recorded by The
Chicks, The Dead South's Joey, originally recorded
by Concrete Blonde. Callum Scott featuring Whitney
Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody, originally
recorded by Whitney Houston. And Youngblood's
Changes, originally recorded by Black Sabbath.
Head over to myweeklymixtape .com to hear all
the songs I've discussed in this mix through
the playlist embedded on the episode page. And
now this is the part of the show where the conversation
continues. I want to hear from you. I want to
know what you think the best cover song to come
out in 2025 was. Hit me up on email, myweeklymixtape
at gmail .com. Chime in with me on social media
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Tell your friends about the show. Leave a five
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we keep this conversation going week in and week
out here on my weekly mixtape. And I honestly
can't wait to hear what some of the songs you
guys come up with because even though I am the
host of the show, I am still trying to discover
and learn about new music. each and every day,
and through the community over at Patreon, Discord,
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you send me. I have learned about a lot of new
music, and I thank each and every one of you
for that. Keeping this conversation going, it
means the world to me. My name is Brian Colburn.
This has been my weekly mixtape, and I hope you
enjoy diving down this rabbit hole of the sounds
of cover songs 2025. I'll be back next week.
with an episode that'll tide you over until we
get to 2026, and then the gloves come off, and
we're hitting the ground running in 2026 with
a whole new batch of brand new episodes, music
discussions, commentary, interviews, and all
the things that make my weekly mixtape what it
is week in and week out. As always, I thank you
for listening, and until next time, enjoy the
tunes.