It’s not every day you’re going to see a review of a T-Pain album here on Amplify the Noise. Not because we don’t like T-Pain, he’s just not our usual go to choice in music to listen to.
That has changed with his album On Top of the Covers. Goddamn can the man sing.
On Top of the Covers is proof in the pudding of the man’s talent past the auto tune he’s known for.
While there is auto tune within the 7 vocal tracks of On Top of the Covers, the songs are not drenched or drowned with them.
T-Pain says,
This covers album has been years in the making. This is something I’ve felt strongly about for a long time. These songs are not what you’d expect when you hear that T-Pain is doing a covers album and that is what I think is cool about it.
The solid covers are:
“A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke
“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
“Sharing the Night Together” by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
“Stay with Me” by Sam Smith
“Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton
“That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra
“War Pigs” by Black Sabbath
As rock fans, we were of course drawn to Black Sabbath and Journey, but what blew us away were T-Pain’s vocals on “Stay with Me” and “Tennessee Whiskey”.
T-Pain captures the emotion and strength of each original song with the power of his own voice. “Tennessee Whiskey” specifically feels like an emotional breakdown of epic proportions that is gut wrenching and beautiful. It is the stand out song on the album.
T-Pain’s cover of Black Sabbath is a solid gold cover. He took the rock classic, gave it a 2023 upgrade and made it his own. He’s brilliantly added organ/keys and a funk driven bass line that thumps for days. It gives off a P-Funk vibe and I am here for it.
Kudos to T-Pain. He’s crafted each song with care as brilliant odes from one artist to another. On Top of the Covers is jam packed with heart, funk, and fun.
MUST LISTEN TRACKS: “Tennessee Whiskey”
FAVOURITE TRACKS: “Tennessee Whiskey” “War Pigs”
