Kate Ryan Returns With A Deep House Cover Of Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy”: Listen

Mike Wass | July 21, 2015 5:11 pm
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It’s been a minute since Kate Ryan released new music. The Belgian diva has been heating up dance floors across Europe since the turn of the millennium, but reached a commercial peak with 2008’s Free LP. That opus delivered international hits “Voyage Voyage” and “Ella, elle l’a,” which was rerecorded in English in a bid to crack the UK market. Interestingly, both tracks were covers — as is the 34-year-old’s new anthem “Runaway (Smalltown Boy).”

It’s always dangerous to mess with a song as revered as Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy,” but Kate gets away with it by veering away from its synth-pop origins in favor of a mellower deep house sound. The song’s (unfortunately) timeless message still shines through and the breezy sax somehow makes it sound even sadder. The video, however, is a little questionable with the blond bombshell riding around on horseback until she stumbles upon a campsite and enjoys a cup of tea. Or something like that. Check it out below.

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