12 A Cappella Covers That Are Better Than The Original
12 A Cappella Covers That Are Better Than The Original
Artists such as Stevie Wonder, The Beach Boys, and Rihanna have great originals, but a cappella covers can sometimes bring their songs to another level.
Andy Bernard proclaimed on the TV show "The Office" that "everything is better a cappella," and that proverb even spawned an arrangement cataloguing website.
But can a cover ever really be better than the original version of a song? Every now and then an artist comes along and covers a song, bringing new brilliance and meaning to it.
Here are 12 a cappella covers that are better than the originals:
1. “White Winter Hymnal" apb Sonos (Arora)
opb Fleet Foxes
Sonos (who has since changed their name to another palindrome: Arora) are well known for their lush harmonies and unique soundscapes. Their version of “White Winter Hymnal” is simultaneously warm and bitter cold, aided in part by a slower tempo than the originals.
The lack of a percussive time grid (unlike the PTX version) gives the tune a flow that evokes winter; the canonic voices make it feel like a carol.
Enjoy this live version from LAAF in 2010.
Watch the 2018 Los Angeles A Cappella Festival LIVE on FloVoice
2. "Voices Carry" apb Toxic Audio
opb 'Til Tuesday
Toxic Audio makes this song mysterious and strangely inviting, which is fitting as it opened their Off-Broadway show "Loudmouth" at the John Houseman Theatre in 2004.
Even more hauntingly beautiful is the album version available on "Chemistry" and "Word of Mouth."
3. "Cheerleader" apb Pentatonix
opb Omi
This song was remixed a few times after its initial release, and we feel that PTX's cover is the best version of it out there today.
Plain and simple. It's fun and infectiously bop-able, and each line is incredibly singable.
4. "Overjoyed" apb Take 6
opb Stevie Wonder
Granted, it's incredibly hard to compete with Stevie Wonder. But if anyone is up to the task, it's Take 6!
Their rendition of this tune screams "joy." The balance, the blend, the voice leading, and the pure love of singing perfectly personifies the title of this tune.
5. "Bad Moon Rising" apb Voices in Your Head ft. Avi Kaplan
opb Creedence Clearwater Revival
Although not easily recognizable, this is a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover. Voices in Your Head's darker take (and Avi Kaplan's sweet, sweet overtones) seems to make sense given the lyrical content of this song.
Make sure to check out the album version on their 2014 collection of singles, "In My Mind," or Varsity Vocals' BOCA 2014.
6. "Diamonds (In The Sky)" apb Nor'Easters
opb Rihanna
Speaking of evoking lyrics differently, Shams Ahmed's cluster chords breathes life into an otherwise monotonous and banal song.
"Diamonds (In The Sky)" was part of The Nor'Easters' mythical 2013 competition set that won them SoJam X, a bunch of CARAs, and ultimately the ICCA Finals by 49 points!
7. "Shofukan" apb Charlie Arthur & Co.
opb Snarky Puppy
There's something primal about this composition that seems to be expressed best through the untempered human voice.
Overlooking the monstrous musicianship, these six voices create something pure and evocative (without the need for words) in the way that only vocals can.
8. "In My Room" apb Jacob Collier
opb The Beach Boys
OK, so this isn't strictly a cappella, per se. But, there's no way you can argue that Collier's unique brand of harmony elevates this already vocally stunning song.
9. "We Found Love" apb Voices in Your Head
opb Rihanna
Here we are with another entry from VIYH and another Rihanna tune. Going choral and predominantly homophonic with this club track really brings out the emotional journey this story is trying to tell. Did you notice that the percussion didn't come in until the end? Didn't miss it, did you?
The video above is from their infamous 2012 ICCA Finals set but don't miss out on the stellar album version featured on both BOCA and Voices Only in 2013.
10. "Hide and Seek" apb Off The Beat
opb Imogen Heap
Before it was Coldplay's "Fix You," it was Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" that every group (and their mothers) would relentlessly cover. Ironically, both of these tunes appear on Off The Beat's 2006 album Kenophobia.
Between all the cluster chord combinations, rubs, and extensions, it's easy to see why everyone seems to have a version. Although their version is similar to the original, there are certain color changes in key moments that add a bit of lightness into the otherwise heavily synthesized and close-voiced sound.
11. "Cruise" apb Home Free
This song (from season 4 of NBC's "The Sing-Off") was one of the first times a lot of people experienced Home Free. Doesn't it just suit their voices and style so perfectly?
How does Home Free's version feel somehow more country than FGL's?
12. "Hallelujah" apb Cluster
opb Leonard Cohen
Now we know this is a bold claim, and we also know that Cohen's version is polarizing in itself.
Cluster's use of chromaticism adds a layer of gut-wrenching tension that is released in a way so warm and so heavenly within their pure Italian vowels.
For those clamoring for some Rufus Wainwright, here's a version featuring Wainwright and 1,500 singers.