Some cover versions are a blurry photocopy of last year’s bare arse from the Christmas party, cashed in and pinned up, embarrassing for everyone involved: progenitor, distributor, ‘interpreter,’ No such debauchery with Laura Groves, formally Blue Roses, originally Laura Groves in the first place. This is a photo of a photo, developed in its own light. Video director Laura Coulson bears this in mind with her beautiful single shot dark-room portrait; allowing Groves’ to play with each of McCartney’s potentially cloying words, clearly deeply appreciative of the song, yet sometimes allowing a coy smile at its occasionally baffling lyrical oddities (“Some big friendly polar bear might want to take you home” — see original video for wonderful green screen fireworks display with said polar bear). She render’s his smooth Rhodes bed into something all encompassing, almost claustrophobic, finding the core of a ballad where TLC found an anthem.
Groves looks and sounds happily in control of her frankly remarkable voice, which we’ll no doubt hear more of soon, following last year’s Thinking About Thinking EP.
• Laura Groves: http://www.laura-groves.com
• Deek Recordings: http://deekrecordings.co.uk
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