Jay-Z, “Dig a Hole” [Original Just Blaze-Produced Version]
If Jay had gone with this track instead of the Swizz Beatz-produced track he ended up with, he could have doubled the number of good songs on Kingdom Come. What exactly was the thinking on killing this? Too much swagger? Not enough synth strings?
Mandy Moore, “Umbrella” [Rihanna Cover]
Because when we first heard “Umbrella,” our gut reaction was, “God, I’d really like this if only it were slower, sadder and not as good.” In the intro, Moore admits she’s “not a big Top 40 listener.” Then she spends the next four minutes proving it.
Destiny’s Child vs. Calvin Harris, “Nasty Girls Are Accepted” [Mash-up]
Astonishingly good mix-up of DC’s “Nasty Girls” with Harris’ “Acceptable in the 80s.” You know what else was acceptable in the Eighties? R&B and electro-pop sharing an audience.
Neil Finn, “Throw Your Arms Around Me” [Hunters & Collectors Cover]
Heartbreaking and gorgeous. This gets linked just so we get to type the phrase “Hunters & Collectors Cover.”
Gallay/Getty