Monday 31 December 2012

Will I.Am and Britney's 'Scream And Shout' - Youtube FaceOff



Live Lounge is great and all but what I love most is trawling through Youtube to find the best cover versions of my favourite songs by unsigned artists. If you put the time in, you'll find so many different and innovative interpretations of the biggest hits right now... but who has the time for that I hear you say? Have no fear for that's what our Youtube FaceOff is all about.



Today I wanted to take a look at one of my favourite club songs of 2012, 'Scream And Shout'. The upbeat dance production, Will's rap and Britney's unusual singing style all combine to make this one tough to cover but many have still attempted to put their own stamp on the track. Let's remind ourselves of the original below though before we get started. And if you want to read more about the track then click here.


First up is a boyband version of 'Scream And Shout' which just features the guys voices and an acoustic guitar. The harmonies work really well together, making the song sound sweeter than it actually is and the rap verses are sung well so they don't become too cringe. Just ignore the ridiculously cheesy opening to the video. I'm also not sure about the 'Britney bitch' bit but I'll leave that for you to decide. 


Next up is an incredible acoustic version of 'Scream And Shout' by a singer called Gareth Bush, who also beatboxes certain parts of the song. Bush's voice reminds me somewhat of Ben Howard and his interpretation of the song has blown me away. The folky vibe and heartfelt vocal is as far removed from the original as you could possibly get and Bush has completely made the song his own. I also love his take on 'Britney bitch', which sounds lame in most of the other versions of 'Scream And Shout' I've heard. This is just stunning. 



Finally, I thought I'd mix things up by sharing a female version of 'Scream And Shout' by singer Valentina Scheffold. I really like how Scheffold changes the arrangement here so that it suits her voice and again, its a remarkably different version of the song. It's also worth applauding her smart choice to leave the rap out, as many of the versions that I trawled through started off sounding great for Britney's parts but as soon as Will's bit kicks in, they went downhill from there.


So what do you think? If I had to pick a winner, then I would say it has to be Gareth Bush for making the song his own but do you have a different favourite? Or is there another awesome version of 'Scream And Shout' that I've neglected to share here? Let me know by liking, commenting and sharing below. And come back soon for another Youtube FaceOff!

2 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for helping share my cover!

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome! I've subscribed to your youtube channel but need to start checking out some of your other videos. Loving what I've heard so far!

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