Thursday 13 December 2012

10 Great Duets

Though it's seldom seen these days the duet has always been a mainstay of musical culture. Two people want to be lead singers? Make it a duet! The duet used to have it's own category in the Grammys...not sure if it does anymore. Here's 10 Great Duets

1. "Relator" - Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson

Yes that Scarlett Johansson. She's actually got a very unique singing voice, breathy, airy and reminiscent of singers from decades ago. This song is of the album Break Up which is a collaborative effort between the two. The entire album deals with, obviously, the fragility and turmoil of romance for those in a traveling business. Like musicians and actors.


2. "Broken" - Seether feat. Amy Lee

Seether were a hard rock/heavy metal group with origins in South Africa. So it came as a surprise to fans when the re-released their song "Broken" in 2004 with Evanescence's Amy Lee contributing on lead vocals. Maybe not so surprising after it was revealed Lee was involved in a relationship with Seether frontman Shaun Morgan at the time. It's still Seether's biggest hit to this date, but many saw it as a step in the wrong direction for the band.


3. "Easy Lover" - Philip Bailey & Phil Collins

Twin Phil attack!! This was off Bailey's solo album Chinese Wall which Collins played drums on. Though Bailey was talented and a well known artist from his time with Earth, Wind & Fire, he still felt he needed a strong single-worthy song for the album. Collins and himself sat down and wrote "Easy Lover".


4. "Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart" - Against Me!

Tom Gabel has a way of fitting words and lyrics into his songs without falling into the trap of forcing them to rhyme. Yet his songs touch on the experiences we as humans and listeners live every day. "Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart" which features Tegan and Sara's Tegan, deals with looking at falling in love from an objective and pragmatic stand point. From Against Me's 2007 album New Wave.


5. "Cruisin'" - Huey Lewis & Gwenyth Paltrow

Yes that Huey Lewis. This song was recorded for the 2000 film Duets. It's a cover of an old Smokey Robinson song and Lewis and Paltrow actually do a very good job at maintaining the song's loose and velvety vibes.  Paltrow has dabbled in the music world from time to time and recently appeared on that Glee show everyone is talking about.


6. "N 2 Gether Now" - Limp Bizkit feat. Method Man

Wanna add immediate street cred to your band? Acquire a member of one of the most notorious hip-hop groups of all time, Wu-Tang Clan. In the late 90's Fred Dursts' Limp Bizkit was everywhere, but this was kind of before they wore out their welcome. This song is actually very enjoyable, catchy and quick. Durst and Method have a good flow going too.


7. "Little Know It All" - Iggy Pop & Sum 41

Pay attention. This may be the only time i'll admit openly that I enjoy a song that Sum 41 has any involvement with. Iggy Pop's 2003 album Skull Ring featured numerous collaborations with punk acts from past and present such as Green Day, The Trolls, his old band The Stooges and yes Canada's Sum 41. Not sure what it is about this track, but the energy level is constant and Iggy actually sounds great!


8. "Turn Your Back" - Billy Talent & Anti-Flag

Though it actually only includes Chris #2 and Justin Sane from Anti-Flag i've seen "Turn Your Back" credited as being by both bands before. I think it's a cool idea, not just 2 singers getting together, but 2 bands rocking together on a single track. This one is off Billy Talent's third album, so I guess it's more credited to them than Anti-Flag.



9. "I Saw Red" - Sublime feat. Gwen Stefani

Before No Doubt really made it big, Gwen Stefani was gaining notoreity in the SoCal ska-punk scene by hanging out with Bradley Nowell and Sublime. She contributes guest vocals on this blink-and-you'll-miss-it track from their 1994 album Robbin' The Hood.


10. "Jackson" - Johnny Cash & June Carter

Perhaps one of the most famous duos in Country Western history is Johnny Cash and June Carter. They met while the Carter Family were on tour with Cash in the late 60's and Johnny proposed to her while on stage in London, Ontario. "Jackson" was originally written by Jerry Leiber and Billy Edd Wheeler, but Cash and Carter's version was much more popular. Even more so after the movie Walk The Line was released and Reese Witherspoon and Jaoquin Phoenix performed the song.


Goodnight y'all

JZ

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