I’ve always been addicted to hearing singles’ covers and seeing how each artist can turn the same song into their own style, characterized by their spirit and artistic identity. And here, Karen Harding took Birdy’s Not About Angels and turned it into her own flood of emotions.
Not About Angels were one of the singles in the famous movie, “The Fault in Our Stars.” I’m not a fan of the movie, actually, but I love Birdy! This single is one of my favorites because of the exceptional vocal performance and touching lyrical conflict. And I’m not going to try to put what the single represents lyrically in other words than Karen Harding’s words:
“’ Not About Angels’ has always meant a lot to me. Lyrically, the song is ambiguous, however to me it represents the space, or limbo between holding onto something, or someone, you love from your past and taking the step towards something for your future. Sometimes, we long to hang on to those things that we love, but those things can often hold us back from moving forward to amazing things that the future holds for us.” – Karen Harding
Straight out of Australia comes the pianist/singer, Karen Harding. With her piano musicianship and poignant vocals, she was able to deliver a remarkable performance of Birdy’s Not About Angels. To be honest, what I love the most about covers is how the artist can make it sound as if I’m listening to it for the first time, and this version is more like Birdy’s one with the piano notes and calming vocals, but, on the other hand, I’m not picturing any other way. It’s better to stay that simple, yet effective. Karen’s vocals make it hard to care about anything else. Her ethereal voice goes from velvet to powerful smoothly and conveys the lyrics in such a moving way. On one of the many listens, I gave to this track, I paid more attention to the piano notes and how soulful they were. Singing delicately along with Karen, making together a perfect duo.
To enjoy this marvelous voice, you can listen to the rest of Karen Harding’s singles, including original work and other covers like Sara Bareilles’s Brave.