Kahan’t Get Enough: A review of Noah Kahan’s new recordings of previous songs with featured artists

Scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across a post from my fourth-most-listened-to Spotify Wrapped artist of the year: Noah Kahan. 

Noah Kahan is a folk-pop singer and songwriter that rose to fame through his breakthrough single in 2017 “Hurt Somebody.”

The post was a video of singer Gracie Abrams covering Noah Kahan’s song “Everywhere, Everything,” along with Kahan’s announcement of his new rerecording of the song featuring Abrams.

This is the fourth installment of Kahan’s rerecordings of his 2023 album “Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever)” featuring artists like Lizzy McAlpine, Hozier and Post Malone.

Seeing this post, I started kicking my feet in excitement. Who doesn’t want one of their favorite artists to release even more music? So here are my ratings of Kahan’s new rerecordings thus far.

Dec. 1 marked a long awaited day — I could finally listen to Kahan’s new anticipated version of “Everywhere, Everything.” My expectations skyrocketed as I opened my Spotify and clicked play — eagerly anticipating Gracie Abrams’s emotional and whispery voice.

Halfway through the song, I began to get worried. Did I click on the wrong version? Why hasn’t Abrams graced my ears with her heavenly voice?

I was relieved when she started singing the second verse. With Abrams’ naturally softer voice, she sang the verse a lot quieter than Kahan usually does, but once the loud boom of the chorus followed, I realized how the soft verse gave a dynamic contrast. 

As Abrams and Kahan sang together during the chorus, I couldn’t help but notice how Abrams got lost in Kahan’s voice or in the thunderous sounds of the drums. I found myself concentrating more on finding Abrams’ voice instead of hearing it. 

Overall, I thought that Abrams and Kahan were an amazing duo, but I don’t think they chose the right song. I think one of Kahan’s more soft-spoken songs, like “Come Over” would’ve fit Abrams’ style and voice better.

When I saw that Kahan released “Northern Attitude” ft. Hozier on Nov. 10, I knew it was going to be phenomenal. With Hozier’s raw, baritone voice, I was sure that “Northern Attitude” would be the perfect fit for him — and I was correct.

Hozier sang his verse just after the first chorus, and my ears became filled with Hozier’s divine vibrato. I loved the way that Hozier sang the verse like Kahan usually does, but brought a new echo-style to the song.

Once again, the chorus was absolutely flawless when Kahan joined Hozier. After listening to this new interpretation, “Northern Attitude” quickly rose up my list of favorite songs from Kahan’s album.

Kahan released “Call Your Mom” ft. Lizzy McAlpine on Sept. 15 and boy, I wasn’t ready for this dynamic duo.

I was familiar with McAlpine before listening to this song, but I had never taken the time to search up her music and take a listen — this completely changed after listening to “Call Your Mom.”

McAlpine’s angelic voice corresponded with the song’s powerful and beatific ambiance. But the chorus is what absolutely blew me away.

When Kahan joined McAlpine after the chorus, my jaw dropped. Their harmonies absolutely transported me to the heavens. After the final resonant note faded out, I was begging for more. I need more Kahan and McAlpine content.

I quickly replaced the original version with the new version on my playlist, and I will sit here impatiently waiting for Kahan and McAlpine to release more music.

An acoustic indie folk song featuring rapper Post Malone… an unexpected duo if you ask me. 

Kahan released “Dial Drunk” ft. Post Malone on July 17 and I could’ve done without this version.

When Post Malone started singing his chorus, I didn’t get the magic that I felt with the other artists Kahan has brought into his songs. He didn’t add much to the song and often got drowned out in Kahan’s powerful voice during the chorus.

After re-listening to this song after Kahan’s other masterpieces, I felt extremely disappointed, like there was a missed opportunity. I think another artist or band with a style similar to Kahan’s like The Lumineers would’ve done better with this song.

Ultimately, I will just keep listening to the original version of “Dial Drunk” with complete satisfaction.