Some of the best cover songs

1. Kris Allen – Heartless (by Kanye West) + Gangster’s Paradise (by Coolio)

Pocket Idol impresses at this Live at the Vineyard gig in Napa Valley, CA with a mash-up of the famed “Heartless” and “Gangster’s Paradise”. It was a pretty genius move and the mash-up was so seamless that it really felt like one song.

2. The Kooks – Kids (MGMT)

Being fans of both The Kooks and MGMT, I was pleasantly surprised to find this cover floating around Youtube. This is an excellent cover. The melody is still recognizable, but the delivery is distinctly The Kooks.

3. Kasabian – Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani)

I love Kasabian and this cover is so much fun to watch. It definitely brings out the Beatles vibe in the song.

4. White Lies – Love Lockdown (Kanye West)

It seems like everyone who covers a Kanye West song seems to sing it better than he does. Hmm.

5. Boyce Avenue – Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis)

This is such a cool cover!

6. Mandy Moore – Umbrella (Rihanna)

Mandy Moore’s voice is breathy and brooding and I love her spin on this song.

7. Kris Allen – Falling Slowly (The Swell Season) + With or Without You (U2)

Our brand new American Idol is the king of mash-ups, and this is one of his best ones. So heartfelt and perfectly executed, and it helps that Cale is harmonizing perfectly along with Kris. I love the “oh oh oh” ending. You can almost hear a pin drop in the room because the audience is so captivated by the performance!

8. Ray LaMontagne – Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)

Ray LaMontagne has one of the best voices out there, in my opinion and he breathes fresh air into this song.

9. Damien Rice – “Hallelujah” (Jeff Buckley)

Awesome cover. I love Damien’s voice. His voice fills the entire room even when he’s so quiet.

10. Jason Mraz – “At Last” (Etta James)