Flipping through my overflowing Google Reader feed the other day I came across this Ann Powers article chronicling the past and future of American Idol, a show I very much adored in my younger years for vocalists like Ruban Studdard and Jennifer Hudson. I inexplicably followed a link in the article to Carrie Underwood’s original audition video, in which she performed a startling acapella version of the timeless classic “I Can’ Make You Love Me,” and as impressed as I was by her performance, I realized that I hadn’t heard this fantastic song in far too long. I set out to remedy that with a quick Hype Machine search, and I didn’t just find Bonnie Raitt’s original, but also recent covers by the two most talked-about vocalists of 2011, Adele and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. After listening to each of these versions many times I’ve come to realize that each performer brings out something different from the song, but the composition still transcends the presentation regardless of the context.

I Can’t Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt
In many ways, Raitt’s original captures all of the intense emotion that makes this song the seminal work It has become. Her hybrid country-soft pop vocals capture the essential introspection and reflection in the lyrics, which, in their most basic form, outline the internal realization of a failed romance. While Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin’s lyrics directly address the romantic other, they’re the type of appeals that we only wish we could actually vocalize, but keep to ourselves instead. It isn’t an argument or even a conversation, but a solitary moment of conclusion and deep thought. Raitt’s vocals capture this perfectly, keeping her emotions just restrained enough to demonstrate the pain but keeping it believable as an internal monologue. Bruce Hornsby’s piano fills fit the situation perfectly as well, adding both emotional drama and impressive technical displays without calling too much attention to his playing. Each of these covers include piano parts, but none even attempt to live up to Hornsby’s level of precision and emotion.

I Can’t Make You Love Me, Adele
In many ways, Adele’s version of the song aims to mimic the original. Inevitably though, her version dials up the emotion and spotlights the vocal performance by simplifying the accompaniment, in this case a single piano mostly playing chords and small melodic bits. This simplification actually changes the song drastically, quieting it down and letting the lyrics and vocals carry more of the emotional weight. It may be redundant criticism to say so, but Adele’s vocal performance is almost unthinkably powerful and beautiful. Especially on a song built for a strong vocalist like this one, I could listen to her sing all day long. Her adaptation of the song also fits the live environment perfectly, putting as little as possible between the vocalist and the audience to deliver the sentiment of the lyrics in their purest form.

I Can’t Make You Love Me, Bon Iver
While Adele’s cover sticks to the general formula of the original (minus some simplifications), the Bon Iver version makes subtle changes to re-contextualize and re-interpret it a little bit more. While Raitt’s original seems to take place as an internal monologue and Adele’s pretty clearly drops the dramatic pretense and exists as a live concert recording performed in front of an audience, Bon Iver’s super-simplification of the piano part gives it the feeling of the subject sitting alone at the piano, singing his own feelings to himself. Its the most intimate of the three by far, relying on sincerity and feeling rather than vocal acrobatics to convey the emotion. Vernon’s high notes sound shrill and strained, just as the crushed lover’s should. The piano melody pops up at points, but in general the focus shifts completely away from technically-advanced presentation and more towards honest, simple portrayal of the feelings that surround the situation described. Its almost more like acting than singing, and Vernon might be the best actor in music today.

Without further ado (whatever ado is)…

1. Adele / Someone Like You
I first heard this song over the summer on NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast, and then rewound and re-listened to it probably six or seven times to catch all the lyrics and fully experience the song. Most obviously, the vocal performance here is absolutely phenomenal. Pretty much unparallelled in pop today. The piano riff stays out of the way for the most part, but it keeps the pace of the song from dragging and the bass notes pop to add poignancy. With disrespect to the performance, however, the true heart of this song is the lyrics. When I first heard the song I was taken aback by how accurately the song described a romantic situation I was in at the time, and it took me until probably twenty minutes after I stopped listening to it to realize that my life was actually nothing like the song. She presents the whole scene so realistically and vividly that, in that moment, I related exactly to it, despite that fact that I really couldn’t relate. Especially given its fundemental sadness, I think this speaks volumes about Adele’s gift as a songwriter as well as a singer. This choice was an obvious one for me, I think this song just has so much to offer on so many levels.

2. The Honest Truth / Typhoon
2011 was the year I discivered Typhoon, and I’m so glad I did. A standout on their March EP, this song has quickly become this band’s signature tune, showing of their best qualities as performers and the strength of Kyle Morton’s writing. The iconic rhythm sets the tone for the melodies that follow, and the whole composition swells to the point of bursting when the chorus-style vocals come in. Its a grand statement from this under-appreciated band, and I have a feeling that their next full-length is going to bring these guys some much-deserved attention.

3. Mama's Boy / Kanye West
Kanye wasn’t pumped when this track leaked over the summer, calling it unfinished and unauthorized. While it may not have gotten the official stamp of approval from Yeezy, the timeless soul-sampling beat, raw introspective lyrics and theatrical, confident performance make this track my single favorite hip-hop record of the year. West perfectly balances childish humor and honest, bitter emotion with threats like “I wanna run over you with my bike” and the priceless little-kid whine about not going to bed. Warning: It uses racial slurs heavily, but rap listeners should be used to that by now. Ye may not love it, but I do.

4. Beans / Chilly Gonzales
This track from the the nefarious Chilly Gonzales’ new album is undeniably goofy, but it also includes so much of what I look for in a song. Music should be fun, and this hip-hop parody hits all the right comedic notes with its ridiculous bean puns (“bean-aholic, call me Chilly Garbonzo”) and its relentless lampooning of the portayal of wealth in rap lyrics. Below the hilarity, however, is a legitimately pretty orchestral instrumental, with provocative twists and exciting builds. I plant seeds and then they blossom…

5. Lighthouse / NewVillager
I’ve written about this track before, and as much as I’ve continued to listen it, it still sounds fresh and exciting to me. The blending of indie-rock styles gives it universal appeal for me regardless of the context or my mood by incorporating dancy electro-pop, sunny acoustic guitar strumming and vocals that shift from Freddy Mercury drama to enthusastic gospel to, believe it or not, a rap verse. Its eclectic but still cohesive, which attracts me back over and over and keeps me from ever getting bored of this track.

6. Doorstep / tUnEyArDs
Merill Garbus, the formidable voice behind tUnEyArDs, really introduced the world to her crazy african-inspired melodic pop this year, and it left an impression on me as it did many others I think. This was the first song I ever heard of hers, highlighting her unique voice and innovative instrumental approach, which features the ukulele and relies heavily on looping. Her crystal clear voice is perfect for this super-melodic style, and her joyful spirit is absolutely infectious. I wanna see tUnEyArDs live really badly.

7. Perth / Bon Iver
This album made #1 on some 2011 year-end lists, and even though it didn’t make mine I do love Bon Iver, and I think this song stands out on an otherwise interesting but kindof forgettable album. Justin Vernon has a fantastic ear for melody and the technical skills to put the sounds from his head on record without too much interference. His billion side projects have definitely changed him as a musician since the first Bon Iver album (which I absolutely love), and as creative as he is here, I wish he’d return to more of a focus on conventional song forms. That being said, I think the melody of “Perth” just sounds so natural and intuitive, and the layered production is absolutely gorgeous.

8. Freaks and Geeks / Childish Gambino
Another polarizing figure of this year, Donald Childish Gambino Glover first attracted my attention with this cut, and I still think its his best. Lyrically, he’s absolutely obsessed with hip-hop conventions, especially mysogeny, gross-out humor and over-the-top bravado. Under this veneer though, Gambino has some real, honest emotion in many of his songs. I think Freaks and Geeks really sums up his lyrical approach and shows off his undeniably impressive flow. I think he’s a really interesting figure in rap and the indie world as a whole.

9. Valentine / Dispatch
Until this summer I had fully accepted that Dispatch, one of my first favorite bands, was over and finished releasing new material. To be honest, after this summer’s new self-titled EP it still doesn;t really feel like they’re back, but this one song ranks amongst their best acoustic offerings, and that’s saying something. The acoustic riff has an appealing, relaxed quality, and Pete Heimbold offers one of his best vocal performances to date, capturing the laid-back, beachy feeling of the song. It’s a great summer song, even though it might be winter right now.

10. Vagabond / Beirut
I’ve always loved Beirut, mostly for Zach Condon’s voice and their fascinating instrumental tendancies. The new album is full of great songs, but this one stands out as my favorite. The piano intro/riff and drum parts have a poppy approachability to them, the horns give it just enough of their trademark French style, and Condon’s singing is just dramatic enough. I’m also obsessed with the Calliope-esque break and the transition out of it. Its exciting and different, but it still appeals to things I love about rock music.