James Blake sings Nirvana's 'Come As You Are' in piano concert, fans call it 'a version I never knew I needed'
James Blake has added another cover to his list of amazing performances while in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic. This time, armed with his acoustic piano, the English singer-songwriter delivered a scaled-back performance of Nirvana's classic grunge hit 'Come As You Are' in a live stream video. The 31-year-old musician sang in a soulful tone as he crooned his audiences in a "piano improv concert" on Instagram Live on June 27. The softcover of Nirvana's track from their album 'Nevermind' was requested by one of Blake's fans and was shared by the singer on Instagram.
During the live stream, viewers could donate to Rachel Cargle’s Loveland Foundation, which helps provide opportunities, access, and therapy for Black women and girls. A total of $6400 was raised. Fans were loving and praised his 'Come As You Are' performance with equal fervor. "I bought Nirvana Nevermind in '91 and really never heard those words until you sang them. 🤯 Thank you," a fan wrote on Instagram. Over on Twitter fans are also sharing their love of his rendition. "James Blake adding to my current state of fragility with his cover of Come As You Are, damn, sweaty eyes," a fan said while another wrote, "James Blake covering Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” live is a version of the song I never knew I needed." One fan wrote, "You get those rare times where someone does a cover of a classic track and James Blake’s version of Nirvana’s ‘Come As You Are’ is one of them."
Blake's 'Come As You Are' rendition comes as one of many covers Blake has performed remotely while following the social-distancing directives. So far, he’s done Radiohead's 'No Surprises', Stevie Wonder’s 'Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer', Ray Charles' 'Georgia On My Mind', and Roberta Flack's 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'. Other covers by James Blake include Billie Eilish’s ‘When The Party’s Over’ and Frank Ocean’s ‘Godspeed', and Joni Mitchell's 'A Case Of You', which he originally covered on his 2011 EP ‘Enough Thunder’.
Blake released his own original material with 'You're Too Precious' in April, marking his first piece of new music since the release of his fourth album ‘Assume Form’. The LP released in 2019 and featured guest vocal appearances from the likes of Travis Scott, Moses Sumney, Rosalía, and André 3000, as well as contributions from producer Metro Boomin.