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Without knowing more about the claims of the poster, nor having ever heard the original song, I can't say how much that "muddies" things. But if the cover of the song sounds close enough to the original, copyright law allows the rights holders to challenge it as a violation, especially if there were no negotiations to create the copy beforehand.
I can take a high-quality digital photo of a famous painting, but I still have to acknowledge the original artist, and the fact that my work is a reproduction or print of their work. My changing a few pixels here or there doesn't negate that. I'd have to make it significantly different, like putting a stuck-out tongue on the Mona Lisa, and it could still be considered a derivative work.
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