Melanie Amaro winner of X Factor USA has released her very own version of the Aretha Franklin classic "Respect". It will be featured in a Pepsi advertisement on Supebowl Sunday.
Obviously Melanie Amaro has a great voice but the production on this version of "Respect" is apalling. To take one of the great soul songs of all time and turn it into a souless, bizarre, metallic, cold pile of unlistenable horror is just about the most tasteless and vile thing I can imagine. Sure, there are more tastless and vile things around (I do exaggerate when caught off guard) , but this one really hurt my ears. It's not fresh, it's not pushing any boundaries and sounds just as cheap and nasty as it is. You may want to turn down your speakers before hitting play.
I wish Melanie well for the future and hope someone from "the machine" will provide her with the production values that will enable her to make the most of her talent.
