Serve Chilled 06: Acoustic Reworks

Artists are constantly reinventing their songs in many ways, from remixes to live takes to complete re-recordings. Some of the most revealing looks into any artist's abilities come via acoustic recordings. Pop artists can give entirely new dimensions to their sound by reinterpreting their familiar, studio-polished songs as acoustic tracks. Here's a batch of notable acoustic takes from artists known almost solely for their highly-refined pop songs. Goldfrapp hinted at their forthcoming album Seventh Tree's stripped-back sound with their acoustic radio session for Jo Whiley's Live Lounge, featuring a lovely acoustic rendition of Supernature's "Fly Me Away." Nelly Furtado and Rihanna take some of their best-known singles to new places by removing the studio sheen we're used to hearing. The Cardigans and Róisín Murphy prove their amazing versatility with their reinventions, while Garbage's Shirley Manson really shines on an acoustic version of their under-appreciated single "Breaking Up The Girl."

Garbage, "Breaking Up The Girl" (Acoustic) [YSI]
Róisín Murphy, "Let Me Know" (Live Acoustic Version) [YSI]
The Cardigans, "Lovefool" (Puck Version) [YSI]
Nelly Furtado, "I'm Like A Bird" (Acoustic) [YSI]
Rihanna, "Umbrella" (Acoustic Version) [YSI]
Goldfrapp, "Fly Me Away" (Acoustic on Jo Whiley's Live Lounge) [YSI]

Note: I have made the zShare links the main ones for downloads since about 1/3 of the comments I receive are just people asking to re-upload YouSendIt links. Those are still there - to the right - but hopefully by switching there won't be a huge confusion about how to download files once YouSendIt links expire. To recap, click the song title to listen to the track and then click "download file" if you decide you like it. To skip listening, click on YSI for a direct link. If that link has expired, then tough luck - just use zShare (it's the same exact file!).

***Note: Links removed***

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