"You Belong With Me" and other covers by Rey and Kaye

I first heard Rey and Kaye's (of Six Part Invention) acoustic version of Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" in the bus. I fell in love with it. I like it better than Taylor's version (but don't get me wrong, I love Taylor Swift) because the acoustic version conveyed the right emotion that the lyrics were trying to express: that of telling the beloved the lover's feelings that s/he has been keeping for a long time.  The simplicity of the acoustic version - with only a guitar accompanying Rey and Kaye's duet - plus its slower tempo sing straight to the heart. And if you're singing it to someone special, I doubt if it wouldn't touch his or her heart.

Rey and Kaye's other covers are compiled in an album titled Acoustic Duets. The album reminds me of MYMP, a Filipino acoustic band which originally had four members, then just had two, and now, they've disbanded to pursue their own careers. Although MYMP had original songs, most songs in their albums were covers, like "Especially for You" and  "Waiting in Vain".



Acoustic Duets starts off with the duo's rendition of Shontelle's "T-Shirt", which was light and sweet and a good way to start the album because of the catchy guitar intro. However, the next song in the album, Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi", was a bit dragging. The tempo could've been made a bit snappier. Colbie Caillat's "Realize" sounded like the original one, except for the male voice singing and the sound of the flute in the intro.

"You Belong With Me" was for me the best rendition in the album. "Insomnia" was a surprise. The original version is something you groove to in a party, but the acoustic version was not a letdown. Its slightly upbeat tempo coupled with acoustic simplicity made the song laid back and great for chilling out.  "Superhuman" and "Broken" were filled with emotions.

Overall, Acoustic Duets is a great album to listen to, especially when you want to chill out or when you want to look back on your past experiences. It can also be a great CD to play in your car as you drive home late in the evening. Rey and Kaye's different take on the songs is worth listening to.