Artist: Weezer
Title: “Africa” (Single)
Label: Crush Music/Atlantic Records
Release Date: 5/29/2018
Genre: Rock
Rating: 5/5
Before I begin this one I should make an admission that I cannot for the life of me remember when the last time that I actually sat down and listened to Weezer was. This is not a hater thing so please don’t come “Undone” about the matter (sorry cheap joke for sure), but the truth is I was listening to much heavier stuff at the time of their emergence. Sure they might have looked just like Buddy Holly but their sound was more for the friends I had playing covers in bars than my own which brings us to the here and now. The other day I was tipped to the bands cover of the megahit “Africa” which was oritgnally done by the legendary Toto. With this being a favorite track of all time I just had to give it a listen and here are some thoughts about it.
Right off the bat you can tell that the guys aimed at keeping it as faithful to the original while at the same time putting their own signature stamp on it. To me, “Africa” is a relatively perfect song in terms of its melodic flow and lyrical base so improving on it was not going to be at all possible IMHO. However, that said, singer Rivers Cuomo handles it nicely and at times there is a nice atmospheric vibe to the track. The beat is a solid one and doesn’t go off track at all and the keyboard interlude while having a slightly different melodic texture to it still works very well. I found myself listening to this one three or four times before putting my thoughts together about it. It’s safe to say that this shows a nice side of the talented band and should even impress the fussier of music fans who sometimes can be too much on the purist side than is recommended. I should note that the members of the band have been in place for many years with Patrick Wilson and Brian Bell being present with Cuomo since the early nineties while Shriner has been there since 2001. Since it was officially released on my birthday, I will consider it a form of present as well since I do love it. Now, before I close this one up I have to wonder if the guys are going to try their hand at “Rosanna”. What do you say boys? Check this one out either way. It’s impressive and hence the rating.
Track Listing:
1. Africa
Official Website: http://www.weezer.com