I know it’s a month or two late, but I’m going to write a little something on Regina Spektor’s cover on John Lennon’s “Real Love”. As you may or may not know Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur was released on June 12th this year containing a host of artists covering John Lennon songs to provide awareness for the genocide in Darfur. The artists range from Avril Lavigne doing her take of “Imagine” to U2’s take on “Instant Karma”. Now I cannot say much about the rest of the album, but Regina’s take on “Real Love” is sublime. Starting out with a wall of rising harmonies provided by Regina’s beautifully unique voice we go straight into a simple play of vocals and piano (Stripped down as compared to The Beatles take in 1996). The problem with many covers is that some artists “American-Idol” the song and do not make it their own. Regina’s voice and style really fit the powerful message of this song, making it her own. Before the end the harmonies swell up again and the phrase “real love” is sung with so much conviction it burns into your mind. Now I’m not going to put up an mp3 of the song because all the proceeds go to the campaign for Darfur. If you don’t want to buy the entire album you can just buy her take through itunes. A dollar is worth it and you are doing something good with your money.
InstantKarma.org: Buy it here!
Regina's myspace
Save Darfur
