"Shake It Off" Taylor Swift Cover by Chester See

The talented Chester See

Hello, JUKEBOXERS!! Welcome back to Jewel's regular cover review postings!! I hope you enjoyed my ten week "Original Song Series". This week, I'm introducing a new YouTube cover artist: Chester See.

Vocalist, song writer, performer, YouTube celebrity, and producer are just a few titles Chester See owns. He is originally from Fairfield, California and graduated from UCLA in 2005 with a degree in both Economics and Theater Arts. For those of you who think you recognize him, it's probably because in 2006 he became the host of "Disney 365". Now a YouTube star, he is among the most successful artists on the site today. He has over 1 million subscribers and over 100 million views. His YouTube channel has a vast array of entertainment options with a little comedy here, drama there, tons of songs (both covers and originals), and vlogs. He was nominated for two Streamy Awards in 2013 for the categories of Best Online Personality and Best Online Musician.

Alright, now for my thoughts on his cover. First, allow me to say I simply love his voice. While his originals bring out more of his skills, this cover brings out his fun side and the video just added to the amusement of "Shake It Off". What I like about this cover is the fact that I can hear his voice. I know that's a weird thing to say, but with so many artists nowadays drowning their voices in effects, I just adore artists who are confident (and talented) enough to let their audience hear their natural voices. If he used auto tune or any effects to fix his pitch, I can hardly hear it. I barely hear any reverb, which makes the song sound a little empty, but this song doesn't really need it.

I appreciate how he handled the bridge by simply beatboxing instead of skipping it entirely. I probably would've found his cover even better if he came up with new lyrics for the bridge, but I guess I'm used to KHS (I know it's unfair to compare...). Another thing I wish he would've done is add more harmonies. There were more in the bridge than in the rest of the song, but in my opinion he could've added more voices and harmonies. Nevertheless, he gets bonus points for the super fun video.

Here's his cover of "Shake It Off":

And to let you hear what I mean by his originals bring out more of his skills, here is my favorite Chester See original, "I'm Falling For You":

Rating: 4 RECORDS

Photo: Facebook - Chester See
Information: Chester See Official Website