YouTube Finds: Jason Aldean Covers “Summer of ’69”

Photo by Jim Wright
Photo by Jim Wright

This was a tough one for Aldean to tackle. Covering what has become the bar for nostalgic summer anthems was a tall challenge, and considering the proficiency of its original vocalist, the Canadian Bryan Adams, it would be hard to match up with the original. And yet, it comes damn close.

Aldean, given his background in country-rock ventures, sounds more than comfortable on the classic rock cover. While Aldean lacks the natural charisma of Adams, he delivers in driving home the feel-good, nostalgic nature of the track, and the grit in his voice suits it naturally. From a production standpoint, the video quality has obvious affects on the track, but relative to the standards of the recording, the guitar work nearly perfectly captures the magic of the original.

Aldean’s reputation in regards to his day-to-day live shows is superb, and this fact is highlighted on this track. Aldean comes off as confident, energized, and competent, something that, as someone who has never attended a Jason Aldean live show, has never been fully portrayed through an Aldean performance.

Is it as good as the original? No, it’s not, but expecting it to be would have been unrealistic. However, it is absolutely superb, and very worthy of anyone’s time. This is top-notch, and is very much worthy of the spotlight. The performance also showcases Aldean’s ability to tackle songs with a little more enthusiasm, something that could be of great advantage to his own discography if he chose apply this skill to his own work. This video is well worth a watch, even if you’re not an Aldean fan.

 

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