5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #30

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Jolene, by The White Stripes

Normally I'm not that into country music, but The White Stripes' slowed down rock interpretation of this Dolly Parton classic has made me re-examine that preference. It is a little weird to hear a man sing a song that was clearly meant to be sung by a woman, but Jack White pulls it off flawlessly in this powerful cover of the tune. If anything, I think this cover has more passion and emotion in it than the original version (not to knock Mss Parton).

2. Strawberry Fields Forever, by Bumblefoot

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Bumblefoot did his own version of this Beatles acid trip classic. It sounds pretty similar to the original. However, it is more bass heavy and replaces the keyboard parts with harmonized guitar melodies. It works out surprisingly well. Then again, Bumblefoot isn't about to put out something that sucks. It's one of my favorite Fab Four covers and a nice way to bring the Beatles into the 21st century.

3. Live and Let Die, by Guns N' Roses

In case you haven't figured it out by this point, the theme this week is covers. The Guns N' Roses cover of Live and Let Die does some serious justice to the Wings original. In fact, almost a little too much justice. Be that as it may, it's intense, driving, and exhilarating. Axl Rose puts a really nice bit of swagger into his vocals. Though the original is always best, this comes close because of it. In a way, this delivery of the lyrics makes the song almost a bit more relatable.

4. Baby Please Don't Go, by Aerosmith

It's always fun to cover a blues standard. It's even more fun when it's the bad boys from Boston doing said cover. Aerosmith is a fantastic blues band despite the fact that they have put out tons and tons of poppy love ballads over the years. When they take the time to get back to their true roots the real Aerosmith shines through like in their cover of the Big Joe Williams classic Baby Please Don't Go on their 2004 album Honkin' on Bobo. Maybe some day they will do that kind of music again.

5. Don't Stop Me Now, by The Protomen

One of the most extremely difficult bands to cover is Queen. They were/are a legendary group of musicians with extraordinary talent. Not very many people can come even close to doing their music justice. However, The Protomen are one of those very select few who manage to pull off such a wondrous feat. Their rendition of Don't Stop Me Now is phenomenal. You feel that same energy, same level of proficient musicianship, and that same sense of fun that the original had. It's absolutely remarkable and uncanny.