JUKEBOX: "Tonight You're Perfect" New Politics Cover by Max Schneider

Max Schneider's album cover for his LP Nothing Without Love

Welcome back to another weekly review from Jewel!! This week, I chose Max Schneider's cover of "Tonight You're Perfect" by New Politics.

Let's begin with a little background on Max. As so many artists, he began at a young age, three, to be exact. The beginning of his career was a role in the Broadway musical, "13". Then he appeared on several shows including Law and Order: SVU and One Life to Live. Many people know him from the Nickelodeon TV movie, Rags, co-starring alongside Keke Palmer. His more recent fans would recognize him from the new NBC TV series Crisis. However, I know him from his YouTube covers, mainly his collabs involving Kurt Hugo Schneider (no they are not brothers). My personal favorites include his Bruno Mars and Maroon 5 medleys in collab with Victoria Justice and Kurt Hugo Schneider, as well as his collab with Sam Tsui of "So Sick", and his collabs with Kurt of "Can't Hold Us" and "Breakeven". In addition to acting and music, he has modeled with Madonna for a Dolce and Gabbana international campaign.

As for this particular cover, I really can't figure out how I feel about it. On one hand, I love how raw it sounds and how he made it less over-produced. On the other hand, I'm kind of looking for that something that makes the original so good. Although his cover strips it bare with just a keyboard and his voice, it was just missing something, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I'm thinking it's the build-up and the upbeat drums that make it a song one would love to dance along to, or in the least bop one's head to. Another element I liked and disliked about this cover was his beautiful but airy voice. While I completely enjoy his thrilling high notes (notes I myself would have trouble with), I didn't like how "pitchy" he sounded. Yes, I used that word. I am glad that I could hear some "pitchy-ness" (I'm making up words again, sorry) because I like knowing that artists still have talent. In other words, I like the fact that I don't hear any autotune.

Here is Max's cover video with special guest, David Boyd: