By now, we’re used to Sam Smith taking an R&B song and making it his own. Smith already scored points in my book by remaking Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know,” focusing on the lyrics to the uptempo hit to and make it a sadder, more somber song that captured the anxiety and their passion, at least in a way that better fits Sam modus operandi, anyway. Sam did a similar treatment with his cover of Tracy Chapman’s classic, “Fast Car.” However, Hitimpulse, after falling in love with Sam’s version, has ironically taken the opposite direction, turning the heat up on this slow song and creating an uptempo remix.
The original cover attempted to reinvent the original by making it a little jazzier and bluesier than the stark, guitar-fueled original. Hitimpulse turns things up a notch with a more R&B-inspired club version, encompassing some of the jazz notes of the BBC Lounge production. The song starts off dramatically, with the track building to the chorus. While some of Smith’s lyrics become a bit mumbled in translation, we can forgive the producers since they weren’t actually in the studio with the artist.
Hitimpulse’s remix to the remake captures the spirit of both Sam and Tracy’s version, while giving club heads something to relate to while casting their worries, doubts, and anxieties away on the dance floor. Listen below and be sure to grab the free download of the "Fast Car" while you can.
