Cover Drive - Do It Like A Dude

Cover Drive doing a cover - and it's a good'un. Dating back to the height of Jessie J-mania at the beginning of 2011 when it seemed like you couldn't turn left or right without bumping into some mention of the singer, this tasty little acoustic spin on the track is great.

With a nifty little spin of the track's 'rude' line into 'don't be a hater...', this is up there with the band's cover of J Lo's I'm Into You, a personal favourite of mine.

Twitter has been buzzing with hype for Cover Drive over the past few weeks and it's easy to see why, their harmonies feel fresh and natural and the group's chemistry is palpable.

Their debut single Lick Ya Down is a classy bit of Bajan flavoured dance-pop and my bets are on it doing very well indeed on its release at the end of this month.

Lick Ya Down is released on the 29th August.

Cover Drive - Lick Ya Down

Bajan pop eh? Needless to say, there's one very special lady cornering that market right now, and she goes by the name of Rihanna. But Polydor-signed Cover Drive stand to provide a fresh alternative to 2011's Queen of Pop with their fantastically titled debut single Lick Ya Down.

The track comes on like a close relative of TI's massive hit Live Your Life, all machine-gun beats and chants. Band member Manda takes the lead with the lion's share of the vocals on the track with her three accompanying boys - Barry, Jamar and T Ray - playing guitar, bass and drums respectively.

It's a big, bolshy package, bursting with energy and colour - something that's very much reflected in the frenetic drive of the single itself.

The band also do a very nice cover of J Lo's I'm Into You - all stripped back and acoustic, the track really shines and plays to the best element's of the group's unique style. The phrase 'summery' is thrown around a lot, but for Cover Drive, it feels genuinely earned.

So pull on the shades, soak up the sun, and enjoy... I reckon we're going to be seeing a lot more of these guys over the coming months.

Lick Ya Down is released on the 28th August.