Cover songs are tricky animals. Some are done better than the original; others are the same. The best are complete reinventions. Jesse Will pulled off a superb cover of Taylor Swift's pop smash "Shake It Off," turning the upbeat number into a slow-burning epic complete with violin. Even T. Swift loved it.
"My favorite covers are the ones where the artist has made it their own, changing the way the song makes you feel," she tweeted to her nearly 50 million followers along with a video of the performance.
My favorite covers are the ones where the artist has made it their own, changing the way the song makes you feel. https://t.co/2rr3QVUiCk
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 21, 2014
Will performs the tune for the YouTube series "Reload Sessions," which has up-and-comers taking on some of today's biggest hits. The performance takes place in a church, and Will's voice echoes throughout the halls. Where Swift's version is a triumphant, brush-it-off anthem, Will's is more tragic.
He sounds like he is lying when he sings "I'm just gonna shake it off." It is a rendition for the busted and bruised hearts that hopelessly try to make sense of heartache. Check it out below.
Do you love Taylor Swift, but wish she had a beard? Here's the next best thing. https://t.co/K0y4QGaccU … @taylorswift13 #newmusic — Jesse Will (@jessewillnz) December 21, 2014
According to his Facebook page, Will is currently unsigned and promoting his EP Hold Your Cards. Other "Reload Sessions" include artists on Hozier's "Take Me to Church," Lorde's "Yellow Flicker Beat" and Swift's "Blank Space."
"Shake It Off" is the lead single from Swift's most recent album, 1989. Here is what Music Times had to say about the album:
"Taylor Swift was definitely trying something new here, I mean, that's not something anybody can deny," Carolyn Menyes wrote. "Though Swift has been toeing the line between country and pop for basically her entire career, 1989 is the first time she's wholly rejecting country as a whole. So, other than 'I Knew You Were Trouble' or a radio remix of 'You Belong wIth Me,' what would a full pop Taylor Swift album sound like?"
