By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
Cover art by Zonagirante Studio
There's something deeply addictive about a good cover. That moment when a well-known song takes on a new life, transformed by the vision of another artist, can be an almost magical experience. Because, let's be honest, not all covers are created equal. Some are mere imitations without spark, but the good ones, the really good ones, are pieces that manage to redefine the familiar and give it an unexpected freshness. A great cover not only respects the essence of the original song, but also dares to challenge it, to reinterpret it, to play with it as if it were sonic clay. Take, for example, Johnny Cash's version of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." In his hands, that song became In a brutal testament of vulnerability and experience, a broken mirror reflecting the soul of an artist in his final days.
In the music industry, covers are much more than a curiosity. They are a generational bridge, a discovery tool, and a creative laboratory. Think about how Nirvana led The Man Who Sold the World from Bowie to ears that might never have explored the glam. Or how Aretha Franklin transformed Respect by Otis Redding in an immortal feminist anthem. Covers also challenge purists, reminding us that music is a living art, constantly evolving. Reinterpreting is not stealing; it is paying tribute, it is engaging in dialogue with the past to say something new in the present.
We have chosen 24 covers produced on the continent by Latin artists, across the continent. dub, rock, pop, electronica, ska, jazz, swing and blues, reinterpreting classical and contemporary musicians. We have Celeste Carballo on the voices and instruments of Marilina Beltoldi and Juliana Gattas. To Los Pettinellis remembering the sadly departed band LAS To the Colombian project Sat Colibri taking up old melodies by León Gieco. He killed a motorcycle policeman while performing a Talking Heads tribute. And so on, a whole lot more.
Take our advice: Don't be afraid of covers. They're made for you to enjoy.
