With today's video we are kicking off our third week of Cover The HITS. As always, time flies and it blows our minds - but that's old news.
The further we are getting into this series, the more I realise how much fun this actually is. Since all artists get to pick their songs themselves, it's always a complete surprise for us when we receive the videos. So the behind the scenes atmosphere is an absolute blast.
Just to make sure you know what Cover The HITS is about, let us explain:
We love cover versions, so here we are - showcasing eight exclusive covers throughout the month of October.
You'll find a new video each Wednesday and Saturday, performed by artists we truly believe in.
To help us make this series a big (and maybe recurring) feature, we'd love for you to share it with your friends by using the hashtag #CoverTheHITS on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Today we have the fabulous Robbie Cavanagh and Demi Marriner here to surprise us with a cover.
Robbie Cavanagh is a singer/songwriter from Manchester, UK.
His music can be genrefied as Americana as most of his songs are
guitar and vocal based - yet there's more to him than that.
His album "The State Of Maine" consists of handcrafted, storytelling and
relatable songs presented as interesting and lively tracks.
The musician keeps releasing fantastic songs as well as touching music videos and is gigging his way through the UK.
On February 24th Robbie released his new single "Godsend", which he previously performed for Mahogany Sessions, as the first single off of his brand new record "To Leave / To Be Left" which is out now.
We simply cannot wait for you to watch their cover of Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman". Every time we watch it, we can't help but sing along with the biggest smiles on our faces.
Check out Robbie & Demi's cover of "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" here:
There are many perks when you run a music blog.
And there's no point in denying that.
I remember getting my first pre-release sent over (it was Tom Odell's debut album) - and freaking out about listening to an album that wasn't released yet.
Years later, I'm way more routined when it comes to this - and I'm also slightly more professional. (I think.)
But I still get excited about secrets. Especially when I enjoy the "secret music".
Recently I got a sweet pre-listen of Robbie Cavanagh's album and today I get to share my review with you.
Artist: Robbie Cavanagh Title: To Leave / To Be Left Genre: Folk, Americana Label: At The Helm Records Release Date: 13th October 2017
Robbie Cavanagh is a singer/songwriter from Manchester, UK.
His music can be genrefied as Americana as most of his songs are
guitar and vocal based - yet there's more to him than that.
His album "The State Of Maine" consists of handcrafted, storytelling and
relatable songs presented as interesting and lively tracks.
The musician keeps releasing fantastic songs as well as touching music videos and is gigging his way through the UK.
On February 24th Robbie released his new single "Godsend", which he previously performed for Mahogany Sessions, as the first single off of his brand new record "To Leave / To Be Left".
So let's check it out!
Tracklist:
1) Get Out Alive
2) Godsend
3) Love Comes Quickly
4) Still Talkin'
5) Reverence
6) Scars
7) Let You Down
8) Fool
9) Roles Reversed
10) Sleep Now
11) He's Alone
Opener "Get Out Alive" welcomes you with huge, anthem-like elements and lets you know that you're about to indulge a magical record. Whilst the verses keep it rather simple, Robbie showcases his voice, as well as composing skills in the chorus. The big choruses and soft verses created such brilliant contrast, yet they still hold hands in unity.
"Love Comes Quickly" sounds familiar, yet unique.
It feels like a warm hug from a stranger. Maybe that was a bad metaphor, but the song is such a fascinating track, because of how calming and comforting it sounds. The percussions are a steady element, but don't steal the limelight from Robbie's warm and expressive vocals.
"Scars" wins you over with stunning harmonies, gorgeous instrumentations and vivid lyrics. The guitars in the song underline the intensity with such grace and determination, leaving you gasping for air.
"Fool" seems like a bluesy, souly and bold statement - it has a very natural, yet very intense build-up which immediately grabs your attention and doesn't let go of you. Whether you can relate to the heartfelt lyrics or not, you'll end up feeling emotional due to the intimate deliverance of the vocals.
To sum it up: "To Leave / To Be Left" is one of those albums that will accompany you throughout the years. It's not just "a phase", it's a friend. You get acquainted with songs within very little time and you'll find a soundtrack for life. It's timeless, it's stunning and it should be in your record collection.
You should listen to these tracks: Scars, Let You Down, Fool
My favourite little feature is back!
I just love finding out more about the meaning and story behind the song, the way it's been recorded, the intentions of details in music videos; it's all just very fascinating.
I'm very glad we have this feature, because it allows us to find out exclusive details - and who doesn't love that?
Alright, before I spend hours rembling about how much I like this feature, let's just dive into today's post.
Behind The Song: - "Godsend" by Robbie Cavanagh -
Robbie Cavanagh is a singer/songwriter from Manchester, UK.
His music can be genrefied as Acoustic, Folk as most of his songs are
guitar and vocal based - yet there's more to him than that.
His album "The State Of Maine" consists of handcrafted, storytelling and
relatable songs presented as interesting and lively tracks.
The musician keeps releasing fantastic songs as well as touching music videos and is gigging his way through the UK.
On February 24th Robbie released his new single "Godsend", which he previously performed for Mahogany Sessions.
Today he's here to chat us through the entire process of the song; from the idea, to the recording, to the music video shoot.
It's one of the most insightful pieces we've had in a while and I can't wait for you to check it out.
Robbie about "Godsend":
"I guess "Godsend" is quite a different song for me, cause it's kind of positive and upbeat in a way. I tend to find that I don't write about happy things, cause I don't need to. I don't need to get it out.
But thing song is kind of special to me.
Because it's about the most special person I know.
It was her that inspired me to write the song. She had shown me a guitar tuning I hadn't used before, which I had been playing around with for a few days and finding some interesting chord shapes with it.
Lyrically, it was really just my adoration for her. Driving home late one night, having fallen asleep together on her couch, and just knowing exactly what I wanted and how I felt very vividly.
I liked the comparison of Boyfriend/Godsend. I wanted her to know that she meant everything to me, even if I was just a simple partner to her. I didn't know what I'd do with the song at first - it was mainly written for her, not necessarily to release.
We recorded the track mainly live. Drums, double bass, acoustic guitar and vocals we tracked live, with some overdubs added afterwards.
It's very important to me that a song feels live and real and honest; so it made sense to set it up that way.
The other musicians were performing with very little rehearsal, because we wanted to use our instincts and play what came naturally. Sometimes the more you think about something, the less natural it starts to sound, so we really wanted to just do a number of live tracks and work with what we had. We recorded "Godsend" at the same time as ten other tracks at Eve Studios over a week with the same band, so the whole album has a very live, natural feel.
The song I'm writing now are (hopefully) more mature, but in some ways more simple and natural. I try not to over-think things now, cause when I listen to my older songs, it sometimes sounds a little forced. The instrumentation and the writing style feels a bit try hard.
I've relaxed into songwriting a lot more now and I feel more comfortable letting it happen without trying to affect the result too much.
Soundwise, the new material has got a more produced, full band feel than previously, but not over-produced.
I worked with my friend and producer Roo Walker to make these songs come to life - and he has really helped to give them a natural, live but quality sound. "Godsend" especially has got more of a catchy hook than I've used in the past. But again, it was just a very natural progression.
I've mentioned it before, but really for me it's all about not over-thinking anything, so I haven't consciously changed style or altered anything, I just write and play what feels natural.
The girl in the video is Amy Powell - the girl the song is about.
I wanted to make a video that felt honest and real, like the song itself. So it made sense to me to use Amy. It's also filmed in the bedroom we shared. I was inspired by a Sigur Ros video with Shia LaBeouf, that just documents the relationship between two people, exploring each other. I wanted to make it intimate and close. Amy has a tattoo of a crescent moon on the back of her neck, and we made the decision to use this as a strong image in the video, as part of the exploration. We wanted to use a small, unimportant point like a tattoo, and make it an obsession. Almost a third person in the relationship. It created something of a mystery and a magic to the video for me. We didn't want to write too much or act too much, we just wanted to document the two of us in that way.
The shoot was very natural for us. Part of the reason for using Amy was that we wanted it to feel natural. I wouldn't have been able to achieve that with a stranger and we wanted the video to feel as natural as the song does, so the shoot itself was quite straight forward.
There was just the three of us; myself, Amy and Tom, the videographer.
I particularly love the dancing scene in the instrumental. It was a one take, clumsy, out of focus shot that just worked really well. I think it was a practice run that just stuck cause it looked so beautiful.
I have to give the credit to Tom for the perfect lighting on set. He really gave the video an atmosphere I couldn't have created otherwise.
It's been great to record and film this whole piece with people I love, and people I love working with. The whole process was very organic and I'm so happy with the results!"
Now watch Robbie's video for "Godsend" and experience the magic yourself!
