There's gotta be a way that's better than just getting by

From the Department of Weird or Surprising Covers:

• Portuguese singer FF does Martin Stenmark's "7milakliv" on his second album (renamed "Eu Só Quero Ser")

• German group Cinema Bizarre (who are awkwardly gothically styled) do Protocol's "She Waits For Me" as the b-side to their debut single

• American artist Lucas Prata (who did the good dance-pop "...And She Said") does B3's "All The Girls" for his latest single (and I'm surprised at how close a cover it is to the original--not dance-popped up like I'd expected)

• Icelandic singer Sigrún Vala does Shirley Clamp's "Min Kärlek" and Sahlene's "We're Unbreakable" as singles (renamed "Því ástin" and "Ekki gera neitt," respectively)

All of these, save for maybe the Sigrún Vala ones, are relatively recent (as in, from the past few months), I think.

(By the way, this post title isn't taken from any of the above songs but a new-ish American song I may actually like and post soon; super-cheesy title but pop-rock stylings, though not quite as hooky as I'd like. Literally everything I've seen has compared them to Avril, but don't think "Girlfriend" or "Sk8r Boi" Avril, sadly; too earnest for that. I could end up going off it quickly, though.)

Ninguém me pode impedir

The debut album of Portuguese singer FF (his stage name, which comes from his real name, Fernando Fernandes) was a big success, selling triple platinum in two months and inspiring a live album released later that year. Perhaps no one should have been surprised at his success, though, seeing as he came from a TV series that had spawned numerous other successful singing careers. Morangos com Açúcar (Strawberries with Sugar) is a telenovela (soap opera) for children and teenagers. In its fourth season, the show has also served as a launching pad for the groups D'ZRT and 4Taste (with those names, they sound like they should be X Factor rejects) and Patricia Candoso, among others. His second album is due to come out relatively soon, I think.

Tudo o que quero--the album's second single. The best part here is the chorus, catchy in a mid-tempo sort of way, but the beginning is decently interesting, as the song's creator opted for something other than the frothiness you might expect. Still, it's just a light sweet song overall, and that's something I have no problem with--I really like it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a cover (or if someone covers it in the future) as it's the sort of song that could easily be passed around to different artists, but I've never heard any other versions of it. Update: huge thanks to an anonymous commenter for pointing out that it's a cover of K-otic's song "Crying"...I feel really silly because I own that CD and everything and never made the connection, but I'm so glad to know now :)

To buy FF's debut album, Eu Aqui, check iTunes; for example, if you live in the U.S., go here. Alternatively, you can buy it from this digital music store; you'll have to search for "FF."

Next up: a Mexican duo.

P.S. I took a break from this post to watch American Idol; I won't go into details since the UK won't get the episode until later, but tonight's show reminded me of why I'm so excited to hear an album from Blake and why he shouldn't go further in the competition. I've really not been this pleased with a final three for quite some time, if ever!

Edit: Enrique Iglesias is on Dancing With The Stars right now. Reminder: "Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)" is one of the best songs of the whole year, maybe the best. I'm just waiting for it to flop in the U.S. (if it defies my expectations and does well, it will quite possibly make my year). It's sooo uber-cute!