Johanna Warren – “Crown” (Kendrick Lamar Cover)
Kendrick Lamar usually is not the easiest artist to cover, and folk-rock mystic Johanna Warren is not the most obvious candidate to do it. But Warren has posted a solo piano cover of “Crown” from Kendrick’s recent 2xLP return Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, recorded at Gainesville bar and performance space the Bull. Given its piano-and-vocals foundation, the song lends itself pretty well to reinterpretation by Kendrick standards, and Warren makes the most of it, turning the closing refrain of “I can’t please everybody” into a piercing freakout. Hear her cover and the original below.