Everyone has a hiddn gift. My partner can fake accents. My son can bump into things without getting hurt. And I can remember commercial jingles word-for-word. It seems some of our favorite HGTV stars have secret talents beyond churning out gorgeous home renovations. Take these Instagram videos of Erin Napier singing some of her favorite tunes. The artist and co-host of HGTV's new series Home Town would fit right in at Austin City Limits.
Home Town, which premiered on March 21, follows Napier and her husband, Ben, as they find and renovate old homes for people moving into their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. According to Country Living, the college sweethearts were discovered on Instagram after an HGTV executive fell in love with their designs back in 2014. The rest, as they say, is history.
Of course, Napier's singing abilities aren't that much of a secret. The entertainment site POPSUGAR featured her cover of Ingrid Michaelson's song "Girls Chase Boys" back in April. The artist and graphic designer does have some chops, and should consider starting a second career in music, if you ask me. Take a listen to four of her renditions of popular hits that she's posted on Instagram.
I can think of four words to describe Tori Amos' breakout album, Little Earthquakes: affecting, tortured, glorious, and unforgettable. Amos, a goddess among goddesses, poured every inch of her soul into those tracks, and made what has become one of the most influential records of 1992. Napier's rendition of "Precious Things" may not match Amos' raw emotion, but it's haunting nonetheless. Now excuse me while I revert back to my teenage years.
Napier's acoustic version of Ingrid Michaelson's 2014 gender-bending hit "Girls Chase Boys" is coffee shop sweet. In her cover, the HGTV star is able to tap into that fun, tongue-in-cheek rebellion that made Michaelson's song such a smash. But Napier adds her own flair, giving "Girls Chase Boys" an earnest charm.
I have never been an Ani Difranco fan, but 1994's "You Had Time" is one of those songs that hits me in my gut. It's a slowburning melody where Difranco lingers on every word. Napier's charming version of "You Had Time," instead, taps into the underlying ire.
The Mississippi native gives a sassy and striped down rendition of St. Paul and The Broken Bone's "Call Me," the sizzling hit track off of 2014 debut, Half The City. Her version doesn't have the oomph, but it definitely has the guts.
At this point, I can't help but gush over Napier's skills. She's a multitalented artists with great taste in music. She's also a woman after my own heart; in March, during a visit to New York City, Napier made a stop at B&A Pork Store in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn — 10 minutes from where I grew up and around the corner from where I lived in my 20s. Artistic, great voice, and knows good food? Napier's a triple-threat.
