1. Speak Now – Taylor Swift – Swift is so good here, how often does topic, sound and hummability hit everywhere so hatd. It looks easy but it is anything but. Months later I adore this. Years later, I still love "Tim McGraw" and "Picture To Burn". What a gifted songwriter. What a wonder.
2. Black Dreams – Shinobi Ninja – Off the newbie, if they hit this acoustic it would be a major rock and roll ballad. Here, they hit it hard and hit it twice: it crunches and lies on its bass and is a hard rock pop song you could imagine Poison covering.
3. D.A.N.C.E. – Justice – French dance in 2007 sound twee and powerful at the same time: like Altered Images covering Chic.
4. JFK's LSD – Hot Hot Heat – Helen swares by em. I dunno, they should work harder on the actual songs, but the singer has a great voice.
5. Rope – Foo Fighters – Maybe it's me. I can't hear this at all.
6. Waterloo Sunset – Ray Davies – Lovely to hear Alex Chilton, and one of the loveliest songs every written. But on this version, Ray doubles back on the furst verse thus proving more is less.
7. I'm Into You (feat Lil Wayne) – Jennifer Lopez
8. In My Room – Best Coast – If you make your living stealing early Brian Wilsons, and you name a song after a Wilson classic, it needs to be a billion times better than this stuff. For the most part, Bethany can't write memorable melodies. They are so etheral they are gauzy, they float away as you listen.
9. Am I The Only One – Dierks Bentley – Country throwdown, y'all
10. Anne With An E – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – I still can't hear it.
11. Waterloo Sunset – Ray Davies – I wrote that Alex Chilton sang on this, er, whoops, it was Jackson browne. That explains why it is a touch overdone I guess!