Gus Dapperton, What You Won’t Do For Love | COVERS

In the 20^th edition of COVERS (2024), Gus Dapperton delivers a compelling rendition of “What You Won’t Do For Love,” originally performed by Bobby Caldwell.   

Ah, it’s time to get cozy and 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 20^th edition of COVERS (2024), Gus Dapperton delivers a compelling rendition of “What You Won’t Do For Love”, originally performed by Bobby Caldwell.

“I came back to let you know / Got a thing for you and I can’t let go.” Gus Dapperton is a fascinating musician.  It’s not only his music but also his distinct look, etc.  Something unexpected happened: Dapperton covered a Bobby Caldwell classic, “What You Won’t Do For Love”. Sadly, “What You Won’t Do For Love,” penned by Caldwell and Alfons Kettner, was Caldwell’s sole top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.  A soulful pop cut, Dapperton makes “What You Won’t Do For Love” his own with his 2024 remake. 

“What You Won’t Do For Love” commences with lovely background vocals during the introduction, setting the tone of this classic (“Do for love…”).  The production (Dapperton and Asa Taccone) is more contemporary compared to the original by Caldwell. Gone are the horns, replaced with guitar covering the famous, melodic riff. Even without the 70s musical cues, there are still fine musical touches in play, including the prominent bass line, played by Gus. Of course, the cover is more about the coverer as opposed to the instrumental.  Dapperton serves up strong vocals, bringing command and bite to his performance. Adding to the bite of the performance are vocal effects, specifically distortion, which proves to be effective.  Gus still brings the magic out of the tuneful melodies of this 1970s gem, particularly in the chorus: “What you won’t do, do for love / You’ve tried everything, but you won’t give up / In my world, only / Make me do for love what I would not do.” Ultimately, Gus Dapperton does Bobby Caldwell justice with his take on “What You Won’t Do For Love”.

Gus Dapperton // “What You Won’t Do For Love” // Gus Dapperton, LLC / Warner // 2024

Gus Dapperton, What You Won’t Do For Love: Covers No. 20 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner /The Musical Hype; Gus Dapperton, LLC / Warner; Andrea Piacquadio, cottonbro studio, MART PRODUCTION, Matteo Milan from Pexels; MR1313, OpenClipart-Vectors, Vicki Hamilton from Pixabay]