Shane MacGowan is one of my all-time favourite singers/songwriters. Yes, I know he's a little bit odd, and not a great singer, but it's his persona that gets me, and he (and his friends) have just released a version of Screamin Jay Hawkins' hit 'I Put A Spell On You' in aid of the Haiti cause.
This is, obviously, good news. Great song, and hopefully some great names and voices to sing it, and raise some money for the cause. Here's a link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf69vIQL_u8
However, when I listen to that song, I can't help but think... I don't like this. Shane does his bit as you'd expect, but then Paloma Faith enters and the song goes steadily downhill for the next few minutes. On her part, Paloma can't handle the style she's trying to go for. You can't do what Jay Hawkins did, which is the mistake that almost everyone in this video makes. Nick Cave for example sounds pretty disappointing, as does the guy after him. They all seem obsessed with making screaming sounds like Hawkins, and as such they don't concentrate on being in tune. On a lighter note, Johnny Depp's guitar solo is pretty damn good.
So I'm going to buy the song for charity, but I doubt I'll be listening to it.
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