BELL : "Losing My Religion" REM Interpretation Moves Emotional Mountains. Donates A Portion Of Proceeds to The National Center For Victims Of Crime

I have to admit that when I heard that Bell was covering the classic REM song Losing My Religion I felt a faint cringe. I mean, not only is that song so iconic because of it's musical poetry reasons it is also so associated with Michael Stipe's incredibly moving and unique vocal style. It takes guts to handle such a recognizable piece of art but Bell does it the right way by changing it quite dramatically.

Her creative license is not surprising given her absolute success in writing for other artists like Natalie Imbruglia and The Script's Danny O'Donoghue. Her songs have been out there including in a Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial and TV shows like Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars. Originally from Tyler, Texas and now in LA she has collaborated with producer / songwriters like Giorgio Moroder (Daft Punk) and David Hodges (Kelly Clarkson, 5 Seconds of Summer). Bell has also volunteered at LA's Rock and Roll Camp for Girls at Awaken Arts teaching songwriting to at-risk youth. She extends that affinity for working and helping females at her live shows that feature all female musicians and her cover of REM's Losing My Religion was a collaborative effort with AG, a female producere known for the haunting rendition of Ciara's cover of "Paint it Black" featured in Billboard and Rolling Stone.

Bell shifts, changes Losing My Religion into a pile driver of emotion. She slows down the cadence. Her intimate vocal performance is bolstered by majestic drums and a dark gothic wall of sound. The introspection of Stipe's original intimate organic performance hinging on a subtext about unrequited love is traded in for a more tortured declaration of pain, of feeling life's hurt and reaching the other side as a survivor. The editing for the video was completed when the horrific shootings in Orlando were announced prompting Bell to donate a portion of the streaming proceeds to the National Center for Victims of Crime.
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Robb