Monday, May 12, 2008

islands in the stream covered by constantines and feist

*you can listen to an mp3 at the bottom of the post*

out of all the "islands in the stream" throughout all the years cute helium sucking people keep churning them out, there's a version that doesn't sound like a plastic miniature replica souvenir of kenny and dolly's mega smash performance of the beegee's penned song circa 1983.

leave it so the canadians. leave it to the lable arts and crafts. so sensible of them, eh? first off, they decided to throw away the karaoke track and slowed the beat waaaaaaaaaaaay down. they accent this fact with a deep deliberate drum intro...sort of a slower, sexier version of queen's "we will rock you." in any case, it's about half time of a heartbeat. and then bryan webb, constantine's lead singer starts in,

baby when i met you there was peace unknown
i set out to get you with a fine tooth comb
i was soft inside.
there was something going on.

he doesn't so much sing these lyrics with the standard genuine imitation kenny rogers jubilance. the kind of jube that comes from someone that has a constant rotation of younger, hotter wives, and moister chicken on the spigot.

webb doesn't taint the juice. he just makes it. with honesty.

then she comes in. the perfect duet compliment. as she doesn't start with a demand or a topper. she just comes through the door as a perfect match, accenting webb in honest agreement and understanding.

{this is where my poor roommate begs me to stop singing so loudly, as i sound more like an imitation katie price imitating dolly than an original leslie feist}


feist's turn:

i can't live without you if the love has gone
everything is nothing if you've got no one
and you walk in the night
slowly losing sight of the real thing

when she takes main lead she doesn't squeal or act out tragic possibility or threaten her man or accuse him of cheatin'. she let's him know how it can't be and why but that that's not going to happen because together they're coming to this realization that their love is

the real thing.


then together and bryan is man enough to compliment leslie with those high parts:

but that won't happen and we've got no doubt
too deep in love and we got no way out
and the message is clear
this could be the year for the real thing

meanwhile a guitar and keyboard frolic a duet over an earnest tenoresque bass that steadfastly expresses the blips behind the steady beat.

all in all, this version of "islands in the stream" is timeless, like an overexposed photo of a loved one in a field on a sunny day.

here are mila and jacques in some slavic idol type show thing:



and here's the original dynamic duo, kenny and goddess dolly:
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