Kelly Clarkson Fades Perfectly Into Mazzy Star Classic for ‘Kellyoke’

Gil Kaufman
·1 min read
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Some songs are so perfect as they are when performed by the original artist that it’s a fool’s errand to try and cover them. That, of course, hasn’t stopped anyone with a piano and a passable voice giving the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” a go.

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The same could also be said about Mazzy Star‘s signature 1994 single “Fade Into You,” a gauzy smoke trail of a ballad that is so perfectly exhaled by singer Hope Sandoval that it’s hard to think of a way to best the track that gave the group its only entry on the Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at No. 44 that year.

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Clearly nobody warned Kelly Clarkson, because on Wednesday’s (Feb. 22) episode of the singer’s daily syndicated talk show she took on “Fade” as part of her beloved Kellyoke segment and, as if we have to even say it, Clarkson killed it. With her My Band Y’all ladling out the song’s molasses-thick musical bed behind her, Clarkson stood perfectly still and did what she does best: poured her honeyed vocals all over the track and captured its intense longing and yearning for a deeper connection in a way only she can.

Clarkson didn’t try to amp up the already-present drama with a flashy vocal run, but instead trusted the song’s inherent drama while putting her patented country-meets-R&B stank on it. Wednesday’s cover was a in keeping with the emotional theme so far this week, which so far has also featured her take on Dermot Kennedy’s upbeat ballad “Better Days.”

Check out Clarkson’s cover of “Fade Into You” below.

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