It is fair to say that Black Sabbath had a particular sound and style, something that is, even for the heaviest bands, hard to emulate. Such is the case with all great bands. (And I’ve just finished reading Geezer Butler’s brilliant autobiography, which I highly recommend for those getting to the heart of the band.)
If you can’t sound like that band, and why would you even try to, you can at least capture their impact and pay tribute to their songwriting in another musical style. Courtney Hadwin does just that, and as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and his recent passing, she has taken their 1972 now classic, though rather unexpected for the time, “Changes” and remade it in her own sonic image.
Whereas most covers of this excellent song I have heard try to use volume and velocity to sucker-punch the listener, ramp up the guitars, and essentially make a noise, Hadwin simply stuns the listener with her immense, immensely soulful voice. And as the song does eventually explode into the stratosphere, all pummelling drums and killer guitars, she keeps pace, the perfect call-and-response to the rock tsunami building behind her.
It was an unexpected song for the band back in the day, and this is a surprising take on it now. But surprises are good, right? Especially when they sound like this. And what a voice, at turns soulful, bluesy, and about as rock and roll as you can get, anthemic, subtle, and sensational, as required. The perfect thank you to a band that changed the musical landscape and a singer who changed the game.
God bless you one and all.
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