In the discussion of great contemporary musicians, Stevie Wonder’s name just has to be mentioned.
Born in 1950, Wonder was known early on as a child prodigy when it came to music.
Although he was blind, he still played piano and sang perfectly well, releasing a string of hit albums between about 1972 and 1977. Because of his huge influence on pop music in general, it’s no surprise that so many other budding musicians try to cover his work in an interesting or unique way.
And that’s where the talented musician in today’s story comes in.
The artist we’re talking about today is Alana Alberg.
Although she’s not a household name, Alberg is a superb bass player from Brazil who releases her own music on all kinds of social media channels.
Although modern music often emphasizes the guitar, piano, drums and vocals in a song, the bass still plays a very important role—particularly in the funk music that Stevie Wonder tends to play. As a perfect example of this, Alberg decided to cover one of Wonder’s most recognizable songs, “Sir Duke.”
Though it goes without saying, YouTube was in awe of her performance.
As always, the song starts with a jazzy horn section that plays all on its own.
While it goes in the background, Alberg smiles and gets ready to tune up and play. From the very beginning, her precise bass playing shows just how important the hidden bass part is to the feel and groove of the song.
At the beginning, the line is relatively simple, with a little spring in it. Still, as the song progresses, it gets more and more complicated, with Alberg’s hands sliding all over the bass.
The whole time, Alberg seems as if she couldn’t be having a better time!
While the bass usually goes unappreciated in pop and rock music, Alberg’s precise playing brings it back to the forefront.
As the song goes on, Alberg never wavers—even though it’s incredibly difficult to play, her fingers are nimble enough to hit every note perfectly!
Needless to say, her impressive performance has paid off to the tune of six and a half million view on YouTube. Still, Alberg also has all kinds of other performances across the internet that are equally impressive.
Some of them even showcase some bass playing from more modern songs.
One of the funkier songs that has come out in recent years is “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green.
While the song was a huge hit when it came out, most people probably focused on the fun and funky vocals—and the funny lyrics. Still, as Alberg’s playing shows, the bass part in it is not for the faint of heart either!
For those who can’t get Alberg’s playing, she even has her own YouTube channel where she shares all kinds of bass covers.
Anyone who likes funk music is sure to find plenty to like on her channel… just consider this Jamiroquai for more evidence of that:
Above all, we’re glad that artists like Alberg are sharing their technical musical abilities with the world.
While everyone loves listening to music, we can gain a whole new appreciation for it after hearing other people cover famous songs—especially hearing different parts of it in isolation. If you liked these performances, be sure to give Alberg’s other videos a watch and check out her Facebook page as well!
Thanks to Alana Alberg for this especially funky cover! Be sure to watch the full “Sir Duke” performance in the video below:
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