Lydia Lee's Cover of Adele's "Hello" - Aw, yes... the student has outdone the teacher.

I am admittedly not a huge fan of Adele's music and the now omnipresent "Hello" that everyone is covering on Youtube will (for people like me) bury that song six feet under fast. Obviously, for those who like this type of song, these covers will undoubtedly make the song even bigger and make Adele known by even more people (if that is even possible). Now before I make a whole lot of enemies I must say that Adele is obviously wildly talented and I absolutely love the fact that she co-wrote "Hello" but, again, just not lovin it. I appreciate the somber chords on the verse which has that kind of Lana Del Rey vibe and the verse melody with it's sustained and kind of rushed points are so solid. I guess the chorus underwhelms me in terms of songwriting. But I digress. Despite me not really caring for the song, Lydia Lee's rendition (you know the Korean school girl whose version went viral) just rips my heart out. It is the sound, the quality and character of her vocal performance that is so amazing. Just listen to her on the first chorus, she stuffs so much tenderness and emotion into the stark performance. I hope she is able to hook up with great songwriters and that she goes far because she is truly gifted. Amazing. This is one case where the pupil blows the teacher away.
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Robb Donker