Change? Not like this.

Change? Not like this.

So I blessed y'all with Baby Huey's brilliant cover of the classic "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke and then I hear that a young lady sang it on American Idol. I've never watched the show but I heard a kid cover "Billy Jean" not too long ago so I figured I would see what was up.

Well, I listened ... and I'm ridin' with Randy all the way on this, although him trying to save face at the end = lame; stick to your guns mayne! The girl might have a voice (still ain't nothin' compared to Mr. Cooke) but like I mentioned back when I reviewed that group Pinback I need me some soul when I hear singing.

Where's the emotion? Where's the pain? Sam Cooke made this song during the civil rights era speaking about the change that our society needed (and still needs today) and here is this chick relating it to her life and the changes she has gone through? Please, we all go through changes, but don't use one of the most important songs of the '60s to express your "growth" while on a TV show!

Listen to the tracks and let me know what you think:

Sam Cooke "A Change Is Gonna Come"

Syesha Mercado "A Change Is Gonna Come (Live)"

And as a little bonus here is my favorite song that samples the Sam Cooke joint:

German Lugar "Can We Peace"

Posted by at May 7, 2008 8:57 p.m.
Category: Music

Comments

#126480

Posted by Sam's Neph at 5/8/08 5:27 a.m.

Will,

I have to agree with both you and Randy. A big part of what makes this song so special is that you feel Sam Cooke's angst, yet he sings the song with a smoothness and fluidity that doesn't require vocal gymnastics. Less talented artists tend to oversing songs, and while Syesha is clearly talented, I agree with Randy's assessment that something was lost in her arrangement and approach. Though Syesha's version on the show was truncated, the meaning of the song was lost, which left her grand finale unsupported and unnecessary.

Those who have felt the impact of this song understood Randy's point of view (personally, I'm quite surprised Simon took an opposing stance). I think a lot of those in the audience loved Syesha's performance on an individual basis while Randy, like myself and many others familiar with the beauty of Sam Cooke's original track, missed that "something" in her performance.

Erik Greene
Author, "Our Uncle Sam: The Sam Cooke Story From His Family's Perspective"
www.OurUncleSam.com

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#126571

Posted by unregistered user at 5/8/08 10:07 a.m.

The beauty of the song is in its simplicity. The young lady should have selected another song if she felt it was important to display her vocal gymnastics. The performance was much too much about her and not about the song. She stated after her performance that she had spent a lot of time researching the song, but I think that she missed the mark.

Don Piper
Secretary
Sam Cooke Fan Club

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