Alright, first things first. While we absolutely agree that it would have been great if they had done the far more epic original version of the song, we completely understand why Scott Bradlee and his Postmodern Jukebox went with the more radio-friendly version.
Belting out the 2010 CeeLo tune is PMJ veteran LaVance Colley who you may remember from their renditions of Ariana Grande’s “Focus” or the motown version of Beyonce’s “Halo.” Here at Nerdist, we have a certain soft spot for everything Postmodern Jukebox does, but we go full superfan when they manage to compose a cover in a style (like this one’s “vintage 1930s” sound) that seems to be a perfect fit. It’s like they somehow tap into the DNA of the song and make it seem like the original could have been a cover of the “classic” PMJ produces. They’ve accomplished this impressive feat before with songs like Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” as sung by Haley Reinhart, Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” featuring Robyn Adele Anderson, and Sara Niemietz singing “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)†by the Talking Heads.
What we enjoy most about their take on “Forget You,” other than LaVance Colley’s impressive vocal range, is how the PMJ crew manages to take an already upbeat song and somehow make it even snappier than usual. Wait, we need to amend that. Colley’s vocals absolutely take first place in what we love most. Hitting a wonderful high note at the two minute mark would be enough to have us love him but it’s merely a taste of what he manages to do at the breakdown of the song.
What are your favorite PMJ songs? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: Postmodern Jukebox/YouTube
