Johnny Reid guest judges on Cover Me Canada

From a media release:

COVER ME CANADA’S FINAL THREE GET HIP AND NAKED

JOHNNY REID PUTS THE FINALISTS THROUGH THEIR PACES WHEN HE JOINS THE JUDGE’S TABLE

• Ali Milner, The Melanie Morgan Band and Whosarmy perform songs by The Tragically Hip, Barenaked Ladies, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen in a head to head battle to see which two bands will fight it out in the season finale.

Last week on COVER ME CANADA, the judges, joined by guest judge George Stroumboulopoulos, made a stunning decision to eliminate Warren Dean Flandez from the competition and left three bands to battle each other for a chance at the final two spots.

This Sunday, our judges, Jordan Knight (New Kids On The Block), chart-topping R&B sensation Deborah Cox and star-maker manager and record executive Ron Fair (Christina Aguilera, Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls) will be joined by Canada’s country darling, Johnny Reid. Multi-Juno and CCMA award-winning east coast cowboy, Reid has steadily become a household favorite for music lovers across Canada. With several #1 hits on his resume, his latest album, A Place Called Love, has gone double platinum.

This week, Ali Milner, The Melanie Morgan Band and Whosarmy will take to the stage and perform the iconic hits, Courage by The Tragically Hip, One Week by Barenaked Ladies and These Eyes by The Guess Who. In an added twist this week, the three square off in an on-air battle of the bands, performing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, Sugar Sugar by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, and Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell. Each artist will perform selections from these iconic songs, competing against each other in front of the live audience. Which band will make these songs their own and shine brighter? Tune in Sunday to find out.

Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies reflected on their hit One Week, “I improvised If I had $1,000,000 on a long school bus ride at age 18 to entertain young kids. Similarly, I wrote One Week as a four minute freestyle rap ‘off the dome’ as the youth say. I should really stop trying so hard to craft good songs. My two biggest hits were written in about the time it takes to perform them!” He went on to say, “One Week is a challenge to perform EVERY TIME. There’s no time to think in that song. It’s just rapid fire lyrics and you don’t have the narrative benefit of anything making sense! Good luck to all those who venture here and beware of the tiny nubs.”

COVER ME CANADA is broadcast on Sundays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT) on CBC. Host Nicole Appleton (All Saints) and judges, along with mentor-producers including Hawksley Workman, Kuya, and Gavin Brown, preside as the finalists perform live in a bid to win the hearts of the nation and the opportunity of a lifetime: a $100,000 cash prize and a recording contract for an original single to be released by Universal Music Canada.