The original goals of the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog were very simple and clear: to put an end to bad YouTube cover song videos forever and to present some of the greatest songs ever written to a whole new generation of music fans. Of course, as time went on, the music blog expanded its goals to include music reviews, insightful music articles, and blog posts that delved deep into the stories behind these incredible cover songs.
But, most of all, the unexpected treat of the Laptop Sessions music blog is how the songs were taken from their fully-produced sound and turned into simple acoustic performances. That’s where the magic of the Laptop Sessions truly lies.
Take a song from the 80s, say a Huey Lewis and the News song. To many people born in the 80s, they look at the music from that time as sounding too cheesy and electronic to listen to now. That’s actually kind of funny considering how much electronica is back in mainstream music. The difference is that the sounds music producers come up with now are much more dynamic sounding and less like they came from a $20 Casio keyboard.
The knack that the musicians here at the Laptop Sessions have is hearing-through the production of a completed hit song and listening to the actual tune underneath. That’s why Jim Fusco’s acoustic cover of the classic 80s song, “Never Gonna Give You Up” is so entertaining. That’s actually a pretty good song if you strip away the synthesizers and the funny huskier-than-it-should-be voice!
Acoustic songs here on the music video blog aren’t just songs that were originally done on acoustic guitar. That would be too easy! And, for the most part, the artists who wrote them or made them famous probably did the best version you’re going to hear the first time around (Bob Dylan songs notwithstanding, of course). So, we try to find songs that would work a lot better with an acoustic treatment- songs that people probably dismissed decades ago as “dated”. I’m thinking some “Wings” songs might be in order here…
When you break a song down to its acoustic guitar roots (most songs were probably written on either an acoustic guitar or a piano to begin with), a special consideration must be made to the sound. After all, most of the cover song videos here on the music blog are done with just one person and his acoustic guitar. So, a good acoustic sound is necessary. Jim Fusco used to use his nylon-stringed classical guitar. Sure, the tone of the guitar wasn’t the best, but it allowed him to sing without shouting over his playing.
As years went on and Jim’s cover song videos got better and better, his voice also got stronger. He was then able to upgrade to his Martin MMV acoustic guitar, which gives his sound a very professional and clean vibe.
Make sure to check out all of the acoustic songs that the musicians of the Laptop Sessions music blog have covered! Search for your favorite song or find the category of your favorite band to get started!