Lissie : Brilliant Emotional Singer/Songwriter

Earlier today I put up a poll on Facebook regarding people's favourite guitar solos. I added about fifteen options and left it open to others to add to it. Surprisingly, "Nothing Else Matters' came out second on the list, with "Stairway To Heaven" (Led Zeppelin), in first place. I decided to look up a couple covers of the song but didn't find something particularly incredible. So, I decided to look up covers of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way." Surprisingly, an incredible artist who goes by the name Lissie, had a cover of it, as well as a cover of "Nothing Else Matters." I assumed that I better write about this girl. She's incredible. Check out her cover of "Nothing Else Matters."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ia9N9MdSa0

Brilliant! From the performance, to the audio/video quality, it's flawless. Lissie balances between a smooth soul vocal and a harsh, rocking voice, which is perfect for the song. I never really got into the song, but I must say that the guitar tone on this version is so appealing. It's almost surf-rock like, and with a female vocal on top of it, it takes on a completely different edge. It's almost as if Lana del Rey meets Kurt Cobain here with Lissie. Beautiful stuff.

Now, I obviously subscribed to her channel and would urge you to do the same. I mean, if you're not a massive Metallica fan, then have a listen to her cover of  Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way." It's much smoother and definitely Stevie Nicks infused. On top of the great performance, it's even more polished than her cover of "Nothing Else Matters" if you can imagine that. Together with some brilliant musicians, Lissie has that deep, emotional sound Stevie Nicks brought up back then. Have a listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OltcXMV-9Vk

Love that one. It's probably one of my favourite Fleetwood Mac tracks after "Man Of The World", which featured the founding genius, Peter Green. But, I've got to admit, Stevie Nicks was such an essential part of that band in its evolution and I love the fact that Lissie chose to cover this track. She definitely gave it all she had emotionally, and restrained herself from really pushing on her vocal chords in the beginning. It stunningly grows as you listen, and is enhanced by that electric guitar. On that note, not enough can be said about her band. They really know what they're doing.

Now, aside from those beautiful covers, Lissie has some fantastic originals, including one that caught my ear called "When I'm Alone." It's stripped down, raw and realistic at first and grows into a fully fledged song. It really gives you an idea about who she is and seems to incorporate a bunch of influences. It's one of those songs I could imagine a pop fan listening to, or a hard rock fan listening to. I know I've been clicking "repeat" again and again over here, so I hope you enjoy it too. Don't forget to subscribe to Lissie's channel and "like" her Facebook page for updates! Check back tomorrow for another fantastic artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G0_eN36QVc

Alex Hamel