Aloe Blacc Puts a Jazzy Spin on No Doubt's Classic Power Ballad 'Don't Speak' — Listen!
The "I Need a Dollar" singer's latest soulful cover is featured on volume one of his upcoming two-part EP series, 'Rock My Soul,' out Friday
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Aloe Blacc performs onstage during the 17th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at The American Museum of Natural History on December 10, 2023 in New York CityAloe Blacc is giving a No Doubt classic a complete jazzy makeover with his latest release.
On Tuesday, June 4, the “I Need a Dollar” singer-songwriter, 45, dropped a soulful rendition of the band’s biggest career hit, “Don’t Speak,” which is featured on their 1995 album Tragic Kingdom.
Quite the opposite of the original emotional power ballad — which, per Variety, detailed breakups between bandmates Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani, and the latter and her brother, No Doubt co-founder Eric Stefani — Blacc’s new cover livens up the track with an upbeat tempo, feel-good production and buttery-smooth vocals.
“Don't speak / I know just what you're sayin' / So please stop explainin' / Don't tell me 'cause it hurts,” he sings with a jazzy swing on the chorus. “Don't speak / I know what you're thinkin' / I don't need your reasons / Don't tell me 'cause it hurts.”
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Aloe Blacc attends the Clooney Foundation For Justice's "The Albies" on September 28, 2023 in New York CityExplaining the sonic inspiration behind his cover, Blacc wrote in an Instagram post, “With ‘Don’t Speak,’ I saw a song that could live across so many different sonic worlds. Embracing the challenge, I wanted to find a way to cover it that feels just as good as the original.”
“Don’t Speak” is featured on the “Wake Me Up” singer’s upcoming two-part EP series, Rock My Soul, which, according to his website, is “packed with funky, soulful and jazzy covers of alternative rock songs.”
“Rock My Soul showcases Blacc's exemplary ability to reimagine and breathe new life into beloved classics,” a press release says of his “signature soulful twist.”
Volume one of Blacc’s project, which releases on Friday, June 7, also features previous covers of alt-rock ‘90s hits from his #TakeMeBackTuesday campaign, like Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and Nirvana’s “Lithium,” both of which dropped in May. The remainder of the project includes covers of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ "Under the Bridge" and Green Day’s "When I Come Around.”
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(L-R) Adrian Young, Tom Dumont, Gwen Stefani, and Tony Kanal of No Doubt performs at the Coachella Stage during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 20, 2024 in Indio, CaliforniaThe Grammy-nominated singer’s No Doubt cover comes amid a reunion year for the beloved band. Lead singer and The Voice coach Stefani, 54, bassist Kanal, 53, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young got back together for the first time in nearly a decade to perform at Coachella 2024 in April.
The group, which hadn’t performed together since 2015 or put out an album since 2012’s Push and Shove, reunited for an unforgettable performance in Indio, California, where they were also joined by Olivia Rodrigo. The Return of Saturn band played an 80-minute set consisting of ’90s and 2000s hits like “Just a Girl,” “Ex-Girlfriend,” “It's My Life” and even “Don’t Speak.”
Following their Coachella performances on April 13 and 20, the band released their full setlist via a compilation project on streaming platforms.
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