This Wham! Cover By Zo! And Phonte Is Pretty Fantastic

​Right off the bat I should tell you that "Everything She Wants" by Wham! has been one of my favorite songs since I first heard it as an impressionable nine-year-old, even though its themes of love being washed away by consumerism and economic pressures were far beyond my years; its gentle shimmy and dollop of funk on already-existing synthpop tropes—and, of course, the bravura vocal by the pre-Faith George Michael (particularly on the breakdown)—made me drop the needle on it again and again. This morning I was alerted to a cover of the track by the musician-producer Zo! and Phonte (late of Little Brother, now of the Foreign Exchange), and oh is it good; it slows the track down just enough to wring the longing out of it in a completely different way, with sputtering synths and a nice, juicy bassline. And there's even a shout-out to Michael Jackson near the end, although I won't spoil its exact nature. Embed below.

This track is part of a free covers EP by Zo!, Just Visiting Three; it also contains his reworkings of Steely Dan's "Black Cow," Everything But The Girl's "Driving," and Anita Baker's "Same Ole Love." Something for everyone!

And here's the original track, for obvious reasons:

[Via Anil]