Salt Lake City singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/social-activist Talia Keys has released a cover of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.”
Though growing up an outspoken queer female musician in the conservative confines of Utah has come with a mountain of challenges, Talia Keys wouldn’t change a thing. Through her sizzling guitar, pulsating drums, or bold, bluesy and ultimately believable vocals, she communicates the realities of her struggles and surroundings in song.
On “Seven-Nation Army”, Keys’ third in a trifecta of tremendous cover songs, the activist-musician once again accomplishes this mission, revealing a magnetic reinvention of The White Stripes’ 2003 smash hit with all the venom, verve, and pizzaz we’ve come to expect from this fiery Salt Lake City siren.
“To me, Seven Nation Army is about not giving up. If people are talking behind your back, you still push through. About fighting to exist, and then existing loud and proud.” explains Keys. “The track has always resonated with me; as I’ve pushed through barriers and biases just to be let into the music industry. I’ve been mocked, ridiculed, talked about and hated on since my career began. So to me, the song represents a battle cry – to not let anything hold me back.”
On Talia’s gritty reimagining, “Seven Nation Army” is again driven by an assertive, four-on-the-floor drum beat, which introduces the tune faithfully, and powers a pulsating groove. It’s a humble nod to The White Stripes’ beloved drummer Meg White, who inspired Keys behind the kit as “a powerful woman owning her space.” The cut features a very-effective half-time switch-up on the bridge, creating an enormous pocket that just jumps inside your ear holes.
Tracked at Man Vs. Man Music in Salt Lake City, Talia handles the lion’s share of instrumentation on “Seven Nation Army” (drums, synth-bass, guitars), and unleashes the searing vocals that make this riotous homage definitively hers. Keys is ably-assisted by repeat-collaborator Ryan Conger, who contributes prominently-placed organ swells, while Michael Sasich deals in greasy slide guitar. The star of the show here is clearly Talia Keys, who delivers another vibrant update to a certified classic dreamt in her own image; and by the time you get through listening to this heater, it’s crystal clear why her name is on the marquee.
– B.Getz – Upful LIFE
Produced by Talia Keys and Scott Campbell
Engineered and Recorded by Michael Sasich Man Vs Music and Scott Campbell
Mixed by Scott Campbell
Mastered by Mark Chalecki
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