Music: Scott Bradlee Turns Ridiculous Into Sublime

Have you ever wondered what Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” would sound like as a vintage 1940’s jazz tune?  Or what Taylor Swift would sound like if she was a burlesque singer?  Or what if indie band The Neighbourhood had a similar style to French singer Edith Piaf?  If so, then you don’t need to look further than Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox. 

The pianist, Scott Bradlee, started the group on Youtube after he gained notoriety for his 2012 Motown tribute to Nickelback, in which he took arguably the most loathed band in existence and gave it a Motown flavor. 

His next big hit, with the newly formed Postmodern Jukebox, was the one that really skyrocketed him to Internet superstardom with his rendition of Miley Cyrus’s “We Can’t Stop” in a doo-wop style.  After that the group went on to do several other covers and have gone on several world tours.

The remarkable thing about them, for me at least, is that they have taken contemporary pop songs that I’ve either found mediocre or just down right awful and made them listenable and enjoyable.  The greatest example of this is their cover of the Jason Derulo song “Wiggle.”  To me the original song is ridiculous and just awful, especially that silly sounding toy whistle.  But for some reason SB&PJ’s rendition of it, set to the tune of 1920s Broadway number, makes the song extremely passable. 

Add in frequent singing collaborator Robyn Adele Anderson’s distinct and stylized voice and the tap dancing of Alex MacDonald, and you’ve got a monstrously great song and video.

The group’s videos have received notice even by the original artists of some of the songs.  Beyoncé herself gave them credence for their rendition of her smash-hit “Drunk in Love.” 

Their most popular hit to date, based on YouTube views, is their cover of Meghan Trainor’s number 1 hit song “All About That Bass,” which was performed on double bass by talented mulit-instrumentalist Kate Davis.  It has over 8 million hits.

My personal recommendations would be their burlesque cover of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space,” which is sung by Ariana Savalas, the daughter of the late Telly Savalas; their upbeat Latin styling of Calvin Harris’s “Summer,” their Roy Orbison inspired rendition of Kanye West’s “Only One,” sung by “America’s Got Talent” competitor Emily West, and their jazz infused version of Rihanna’s “We Found Love.”  

It’s hard to go wrong with any of their songs.