After Madeleine Peyroux’s near-to-perfect take on Elliott Smith’s ‘Between The Bars’, it must be a little scary to cover the song again. This is however what Danish songwriter/composer Agnes Obel did in her latest EP, ‘Live From Paris’, which was released exclusively through iTunes on May 31st
I just had to mention Peyroux because it is my favorite cover of the song, but Agnes Obel sings it slowly and carefully, bringing her clear and naked vocals over a simple acoustic guitar. She makes sure not to miss a syllable of the lyrics, and gives the impression to respectfully sing the tune, without changing a lot from the original, as if it was something almost sacred.
The EP was recorded at the iTunes Opera Store in Paris in March, and also features some of the tracks from her debut record, ‘Philharmonic’. Agnes Obel, who has been praised by critics, has gone platinum in France, double platinum in Denmark, and has sold out venues across Europe, just toured the U.S. in June. She has been compared to PJ Harvey, Joanna Newson and even Roy Orbison, and the few videos I have watched of her, singing some stripped down melancholic songs on piano, are definitively moving and charmingly haunting; and isn’t ‘Riverside’ a sort of Lykke Li meets Cat Power?
Here is the Tracklist of her EP:
1.Over The Hill
2. Riverside
3. Katie Cruel
4. Just So
5. Between The Bars (Elliott Smith Cover)
6. Philharmonics
Just go there to listen to her cover of 'Between the Bars':
http://soundcloud.com/girlie-action/agnes-obel-between-the-bars-elliott-smith-cover