A Reggae beat is like icing on the cake for a good pop song and can totally change the dynamic of it. For years people have been taking pop songs and putting Reggae riddims behind them, turning great songs into even better ones. Here are my top 10 pop/r&b songs done in a reggae style.
10. Adele: Fire To The Rain
While Adele’s great song writing and powerful voice make all of her songs great, this old school reggae riddim turns the song into a big chune.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh6qXWmLprY&w=420&h=315]
9. No Doubt: Don’t Speak
Gwen Stefani and No Doubt are clearly very inspired by reggae but this organ based reggae riddim makes “Don’t Speak” sound like a classic reggae song.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKGXIDLaOQM&w=420&h=315]
8. Dido: Thank You
This reggae beat beathes life into the song made popular by Eminem. Dido’s voice blends with the beat as it makes smooth transitions from happy to sad.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGzQ3QWAcW0&w=420&h=315]
7. Fugees: Killing Me Softly
The reggae beat helps the already massively influenced Fugees create yet another Caribbean influenced hit from an R&B song. The grandfather to Lauryn’s children would be proud.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrnyI7Pijrc&w=420&h=315]
6. Alicia Keys: You Don’t Know My Name
For me the reggae version of this song is ten times better than the original. The song utilizes the riddim from the classic Gregory Isaacs chune “New Lover.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qou6rJknRcE&w=420&h=315]
5. Whitney Houston: I Want To Dance With Somebody
Whitney’s classic pop hit “Wanna DAnce” is transfromed from an upbeat party song to a laid back yardie groove thanks to the cool riddim.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA17uvXS7y0&w=420&h=315]
4. Gotye Someone I Used To Know
Gotye’s s Stin-like falsetto and the already reggae influenced beat are given the dub treatment to make a dark and sinister dub version of his pop smash.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-1Rr6E6Vsg&w=420&h=315]
3. Rihanna: You Da One
While Rihanna has shown he can make pop songs with a variety of styles and influences to me she will always sound better on a reggae beat, as evident in Jr. Blender reggae remix of “You Da One.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXPmjPXdyDw&w=420&h=315]
2. Adele: Someone Like You
Putting an upbeat song on this bitter sweet future classic song makes it uniquely Adele and uniquely reggae.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1X1m8cJQ6Q&w=420&h=315]
1. The Beatles: Eleanor Rigby
This mash up put the vocals from The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s classic with the the “Doctor Darling” riddim by seed which was used by Tanya Stephens for a mean mashup.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBLJBbanRRU&w=420&h=315]