Anthony Hill : Creative Indie Singer/Songwriter

So, I was sitting around listening to The Smiths today and thinking about covering one of their songs. As I usually do, I began surfing around Youtube looking for covers. And while going over the sea of covers I came across a cover of The Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", by Anthony Hill. Anthony Hill just has a ring to it, doesn't it? Great name for an indie artist living in London. I'll have to seek him out when I return to London next year. He's definitely got a great sound about him. Check out the cover I'm talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13hYAE6wKCQ

Great cover, right? I personally feel that it was a courageous thing to do. It's a tough task taking on personal favourites. I noticed he did another version of the song more recently, much like I've done two version of "Under The Bridge". I guess his harshest judge is himself, in that it seems near "impossible" to cover a personal favourite. Nevertheless, you gotta acknowledge that this is a stunning cover of one of The Smith's masterpiece. Vocally, Anthony kills it (in a good way), and blends in with his scratchy guitar playing. Very indie, and very good.

Another cover that Anthony's done twice is of "Lonely Boy" by the Black Keys. As he said, if he tries hard, he might do it better. I certainly think he did it better than the first time and love the fact that he persists with the songs he loves. His voice works for the song just right, and the guitar is a lot less scratchy than the previous cover. Both are great, but the way Anthony develops in his covers is great. Check out this awesome cover!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRjSPAS_7WI

Love the cover and really think Anthony's song covers are perfect for his overall style. He paints on the silence, not only with his very indie, singer/songwriter sound, but also with the attitude he takes towards music. The fact that he always seems to take on songs as if they are lions, and he's the gladiator going in for the fight is just great. His fear, that it might not come out right serves him well, in that each and every cover is great. And whenever, he re-covers a song, it has a great deal of difference from the original cover. Well, maybe not to someone who's not paying attention, but if you really listen, you'll see the difference.

Aside from his great covers, Anthony's got a good deal of creative originals on his channel. One that he uploaded rather recently, a couple months ago, really appealed to me. It's called "Dorothy" and it just screams "indie". However, having said that, it's almost jazzy. I could imagine it being a crooner tune, or a doo-wop track from the 50's. But, seeing as it's not the 50's, Anthony turns this flexible tune into a very modern song. I love it. Have a listen and don't forget to subscribe to Anthony's channel and check out his Facebook page for updates. Ever so talented. Check back tomorrow for another fantastic artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hLMbGp1Fx0

Alex Hamel