Tune For Tune: Battle of the “Hello” Reggae Versions

Who Did Adele’s Big Tune Better: Conkarah & Rosie Delmah or Alaine?

Big up all Boomshots massive and welcome to a new feature we call “Tune for Tune.” Today we’re going to compare different reggae versions of Adele’s 2015 chart-topped “Hello.” In Reshma B’s latest Clash Music Reggae & Dancehall Column, she points out that a reggae version of Adele’s latest sad song shot to the top of the ITunes Reggae Charts. That version was recorded by Conkarah, a British/Jamaican artist, who discovered a fourteen-year-old girl from the Solomon Islands named Rosie Delmah. The other reggae version was recorded by Alaine, Jamaica’s “reggae songbird” and produced by Shane Brown for Jukeboxx Productions. Let’s get to the tunes. Videos After The Jump…

Just to be clear: we’re not talking a remix here, where a producer or DJ flies Adele’s original vocals over a reggae instrumental. These are completely new records. First up is Conkarah & Rosie. Let it go…

OK Alaine, Your Time Now…

The Argument:

Hello1GirlBOOMSHOTSIn the court of public opinion, Conkarah &  Rosie have already won. Alaine’s version was posted on her official Vevo channel November 9th, and just now approaching 1 million views. Meanwhile, Conkarah posted his version December 22nd, and it’s well over 15 million (besides topping the iTunes Reggae chart.) If this were a sound clash, the crowd would decide and it would be a wrap. Rosie is obviously a very talented young lady, and she sings this song of heartbreak with so much feeling it’s hard to believe she’s just 14 years old. Still, it’s a bit odd to see her and Conkarah sitting side by side singing a love duet when he’s a grown man. (Just sayin’.) And Conkarah’s impromptu DJ stylings don’t exactly fit the mood of the song.

HelloAlaineBOOMSHOTSBy contrast, Adele turns in a pitch-perfect performance. Her vocals, her facial expression—everything is exactly right. She clearly understands exactly what she’s singing about, and she’s got the voice and the musical knowledge to bring home every poignant detail of the song. The music video, more of a documentary of the recording session, highlights that fact that Jukeboxx Productions brought in some of Jamaica’s most talented musicians to create an exquisite new recording of the highest quality. The sight of Dean Fraser and Shane Brown sitting at the mixing board say it all: Alaine’s version of “Hello” is clearly the superior of the two versions. We wish Rosie and Conkarah well, but in this competition…

The Winner Is Alaine

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