One of the most popular uses of AI in the music space is the resurrection of dead artists. This technology allows us to hear (or at least pretend to hear) new material from singers who were sadly silenced. This is particularly poignant when applied to those who died young.
Jeff Buckley was just 30 when he drowned in 1997 having released only one studio album (1994’s wonderful Grace). Several posthumous releases have attempted to capitalize on his popularity, which is just a pre-AI form of exploitation. I’d argue that the AI efforts are less cynical because they aren’t rooted in capitalism.
Today’s track finds “Buckley” singing the title track of Lana Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell. The two artists are a good match, both in terms of their vocal styles and their overall vibe. Del Rey once listed Buckley, along with Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Frank Sinatra, as her musical masters, so I’m sure she would have been thrilled to hear him cover one of her songs.
This is an appropriate selection given the date, my older daughter’s 21st birthday. Sophia is a huge Jeff Buckley fan, and she shares my admiration for Lana Del Rey.
Goddamn, man-child
You fucked me so good that I almost said “I love you”
You’re fun and you’re wild
But you don’t know the half of the shit that you put me through
Your poetry’s bad and you blame the news
But I can’t change that, and I can’t change your mood, ah
[Chorus]
‘Cause you’re just a man
It’s just what you do
Your head in your hands
As you color me blue
Yeah, you’re just a man
All through and through
Your head in your hands
As you color me blue
Blue, blue, blue
[Verse 2]
Goddamn, man-child
You act like a kid even though you stand six foot two
Self-loathing poet, resident Laurel Canyon know-it-all
You talk to the walls when the party gets bored of you
But I don’t get bored, I just see it through
Why wait for the best when I could have you? You?
[Chorus]
‘Cause you’re just a man
It’s just what you do
Your head in your hands
As you color me blue
Yeah, you’re just a man
All through and through
Your head in your hands
As you color me blue
Blue, blue
You make me blue
[Outro]
Blue, blue
Blue, blue, blue
Blue, blue, blue
Meet Me In Montauk 
What I think makes these AI covers less interesting is the use of the same music track and the same way in which the vocals were originally sung, with the only difference being the voice tone of the singer. I’m curious if, for example, this were sung by AI Dylan or Sinatra or Ray Charles, whether the distinctive styles of those artists could be extracted. Ultimately, it is how an artist interprets or reimagines a song that makes a cover interesting.
I agree, Dana.