Lindsay Ell is a versatile and talented performer able to cover One Direction, the Weeknd, Fleetwood Mac, and George Jones tunes in a way completely her own. Her most recent challenge is the electro/funk/R&B “Filthy” from Justin Timberlake’s forthcoming Man of the Woods. In Ell’s hands, it becomes a bluesy, down-south anthem.
Ell transforms the thumping hook (“Haters gonna say it’s fake”) into a blues riff and shows off her musical talent as she dances all over the fret board. The verses, by nature of the song, become more of a pop anthem which also lands squarely in Ell’s wheel house.
The cover did reveal one thing about the song to me: it is very repetitive. To do it solo and keep it interesting takes a lot of talent and forethought.
How do you think she did?