Being spotted at Grizzly Bear gigs and espousing her love of all good music has already confirmed her as much cooler than her mega-warbling sis, but now Solange has taken things a step further by overhauling one of her favourite Dirty Projectors songs R&B style. Word is slowly picking up pace around this cover which, on first listen, is admittedly unspectacular before growing into a slick and funky take on an already top-notch song. Instead of simply re-recording the track, great cover versions should bring something new to the original, which is exactly what Solange manages to do; Beyonce’s little sister gains bonus points for injecting some soulful R&B into the Dirty Projectors funky cavalry and making her own mark on the song. Throw in a Shaft sample and you have one of this year’s smoothest (and least likely) cover versions. More releases like this will surely establish her as the quirkier and more talented Knowles sibling, while putting those pesky sister vs. sister comparisons finally to bed.
Words: Lisa Hughes