Here’s something you thought you’d probably never come across: an acoustic jazz vocal cover of Eminem’s classic “Lose Yourself.” Surprised, aren’t you? So was I – totally taken aback when I first heard it. Covering a classic song is a dangerous game; there’s a big risk of coming across as unoriginal and boring or just plain cheesy. This is not one of those cases. This is damn good, fam. Damn good.

“Lose Yourself” is an intense song. The sound is super focused and every element of the song is constantly driving the tune forward. It never drags. Kellylee Evans tweaks that structure. The original hip-hop drum track is replaced with a minimal jazz rhythm section; this rhythm section is gentle, which is a stark contrast to what we are used to hearing. This is not say that the intensity of the song is lost – it’s just much more subtle. In addition, Kellylee Evans provides a jazz vocal that is at once rich and tender as well as rhythmically exciting and original. Slightly reminiscent of Billie Holiday, Evans gives us a truly interesting take on this classic rap vocal. Multiple points of the cover feature Evans introducing some vocal improv, which really shows off her beautiful tone and virtuosity. We even get some bonafide scat singing at the end of the tune. I never thought I’d use “scat singing” and “Eminem” in the same article…

To learn more about Kellylee Evans visit her website.