Listen to a Soulful Spin on a Radiohead Classic
By Eric R. Danton

Kendra Morris has loved singing cover songs since she got a karaoke machine for Christmas as a little girl growing up in Florida. Now, the singer and songwriter is indulging her fondness for reimagining other writers’ work with a coming covers LP, “Mockingbird.” The followup to “Banshee,” her 2012 album of original songs, “Mockingbird” includes her versions of tunes by Pink Floyd, David Bowie and Lou Reed, and her cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” which Speakeasy premieres exclusively today.

“Thom Yorke has one of my favorite voices in contemporary music and the songs that Radiohead write have always inspired me,” Morris said. “They always seem to have a haunting melody that all of a sudden takes a turn or a dip and locks you in with some sort of counter melody or vocals that get so big they could swallow you whole.”

For Morris, part of the fun of doing covers is putting her own stamp on a song she loves, which she certainly did here with a smoky version rooted in Memphis-style soul. Morris surrounds her sultry voice with subtle organ, wah-wah guitar and a string arrangement that sweeps through the song.

“When we began to work on ‘Karma Police’ it only seemed right to take it somewhere completely different,” she said. “I think that song has the most incredible tone and sets such a warm vibe as-is that it just made sense to give it an entirely new one.”

You can stream Mockingbird in its entirety today on KCRW!!!!!!! Enjoy