You have inevitably been to a concert where the singer has said, “So we are really big fans of X and we won’t do X justice but we are going to sing this song by them anyway.” And you know what, sometimes they totally do it justice. And then, sometimes they don’t. #winsomelosesome

I think the best covers are the ones where the artist makes it their own. While I totally get the humor and fun in hearing white dudes play Ginuwine’s Pony slowly on an acoustic guitar—it doesn’t always make for the best cover. Side note: white people LOVE covering 90s R&B—that’s a whole playlist in and of itself. This is not surprising because 90s R&B is perfection. But back to the point.

A good cover stands on its own and you love both the cover and the original. A good cover is something the original artist could be proud of. Like Oasis and Taylor Swift should be sending Ryan Adams Omaha Steaks or Edible Arrangements or whatever pop stars send each other to say, “Thanks for making my music sound like it has a million times more soul than I knew possible.” If you are a musician your goal should be for Ryan Adams to cover you.

Again, I digress. Always digressing.

This playlist is some of the best covers I have heard. These along with their originals are all go to’s. We (collective society aka the internet) talk a lot about originality, innovation, and newness. While I was working on this playlist I kept repeating, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” No doubt, there is a lot of crappy imitation out there. But when done right, we end up with something we didn’t know we needed but are so glad we have. I personally think is a lot of fun and a good reminder not to take our creativity too seriously.

Happy listening!

Check out our past Boss Beats playlists:

Jessica Blackstock moonlights as a deejay, during daylight hours she girlbosses over at Thrive Consulting Group.   Want more beats? Your Week Curated is another playlist I, well, curate. I add four newly released songs to the list every Monday.