Alicia Keys‘ “Fallin'” doesn’t need a signal boost from anyone. It was a mega-hit at the time of its release, won three Grammys and established Keys as a star. That being said, beloved country act Little Big Town picked a great time to slip the song into their setlist, with Keys creeping into Middle America’s radar thanks to her new coaching slot on “The Voice.”
A good chunk of guitar-based re-works of R&B hits tend to deserve nothing more than an eye roll, because they carry with them the idea that the music has somehow been legitimized or made more serious via the cover. Little Big Town however, do a good job of avoiding this by playing the cover fairly straight. And it helps that they aren’t just some interlopers. Their last album Wanderlust — produced by Pharrell Williams — showed that they had a genuine love of R&B and pop, even if it was less than warmly received by critics and fans.
Above, you can watch the group turn Keys’ powerful solo cut into a massive four-part harmony and pull off the rare feat of doing a Keys’ cover justice. And below you can check out another of their covers (along with tourmate Luke Bryan) of Marvin Gaye‘s “Let’s Get It On.”
