by rewind » Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:06 am
There's a certain lack of heart to this version. In the original, I still get goosebumps when the chorus launches into "Feed the world..." I don't get that emotional buildup here at all.
I blame Paul Epworth's bland production (and I usually like his work). Sounds like he tried to mimic the exact arrangement of the original, but forgot whatever it was that gave the original it's large, wall-of-sound feel -- the percussion perhaps?
Some performers here definitely stand out: Chris Martin, Ellie Goulding, Sinead, Seal, that guy from Elbow, Sam Smith... But Bono seems positively -- and uncharacteristically -- sedate, and I could do without Rita Ora's pretentious, Mariah-level melisma.