Gerald Levert, That’s The Way I Feel About You | COVERS

In the 36^th edition of COVERS (2023), Gerald Levert delivers a compelling rendition of “That’s The Way I Feel About You,” originally performed by Bobby Womack.   

Ah, it’s time to get cozy and totally cover up! In COVERS, we highlight a musician or band covering songs by another musician (likely a popular musician). COVERS focuses solely on the musician who covers, as opposed to the original/most famous performer.  It is open to both established musicians and musicians who may not be as well-known. In the 36^th edition of COVERS (2023), 🎙 Gerald Levert, assisted by 🎙 Mary J. Blige, delivers a compelling rendition of 🎵 “That’s The Way I Feel About You”, originally performed by 🎙 Bobby Womack.

“I’m a firm believer that / If you get anything out of life / You’ve gotta put up with the stress and strife.” The late, great, 🏆 Grammy winning, R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Gerald Levert (1966 – 2006) possessed a truly powerful, soulful instrument.  Every time Levert sung, you felt like he put his all into the performance – blood, sweat, and tears you might say.  One of Gerald’s best albums is 💿 Love & Consequences, released in 1998.  While there are many awesome original songs, including the two biggest pop hits of his career, there’s also a marvelous 🎙 Bobby Womack cover, 🎵 “That’s The Way I Feel About You” (NOTE: Womack’s version is titled, 🎵 “That’s The Way I Feel About ‘Cha”).  The original by Womack is a solo track.  In Levert’s hands, it becomes a duet featuring the one-and-only 🎙 Mary J. Blige.

It’s safe to say that Gerald Levert channels his inner Bobby Womack superbly. Notably, both artists hailed from Cleveland, Ohio – a Midwest soul connection! Levert sings with incredible expression, wowing in the first verse, and bringing the heat on the most memorable section of the song, the chorus (“That’s the way I feel about you”).  This late 1990s rendition retains many of the musical cues of the original but updates the sound to sound characteristic and idiomatic of R&B at the time.  Mary J. Blige brings contrast performing the second verse.  Not only does it contrast the original, but Blige contrasts Levert, sounding particularly youthful and chocked full of soul.  Both artists sound incredible from then on, singing together.  The chemistry is terrific.  The bridge, another big time section of this record, is fabulous as they both sing parts of it solo as well as together.  All told, this Levert/Blige cover of 🎵 “That’s The Way I Feel About You” sounds brand-new – original.  If the Womack version weren’t well known, or if people who weren’t old enough to know it had heard this version first, it could be mistaken for a Gerald Levert original.  That, folks, is the mark of an awesome cover!

🎙 Gerald Levert • 💿 Love & Consequences • 🏷 Elektra • 📅 1998

Gerald Levert, That’s The Way I Feel About You: Covers No. 36 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner /The Musical Hype; Elektra; cottonbro studio, MART PRODUCTION, Ron Lach from Pexels; Paul Brennan from Pixabay]