Producer Mark Menghi’s all-star Chris Cornell tribute project King Ultramega has released a new song, this one paying tribute to a less explored area of Cornell’s career. Bringing together Brent Hinds, Mastodon‘s lead singer on vocals, Angel Vivaldi on all guitars, Frank Mitaritonna on keyboards, and Kenny Aronoff on drums (along with Menghi on bass,) the group’s newest song is a cover of “Dead Wishes,” which appeared on Higher Truth, the last album released during Cornell’s lifetime.
“I would constantly listen to the original version in moments of clarity, times of reflection, sitting in a sauna post-work out and/or cool down periods, etc. any time I needed to wind down or relax, I listened to it,” said Menghi. “As time went on, I became more and more connected to the song. I just love the simplicity of the song, the depth of the instrumentation, the acoustic guitar tone, etc. when tracking and producing our version, I wanted to stay true to the original but add things I was hearing in my head, hence the violins, cellos, keyboards, percussion, Leslie effects, xylophone, sleigh bells, etc. I wanted to create an atmospheric soundscape that would pay homage to the original.”
The group previously had released a cover of “Rusty Cage,” featuring Alice in Chains singer William Duvall. (It made our list of best covers of the month in February.)
All money raised by sales of the single will benefit MusiCares, which supports mental health services, addiction recovery support, and emergency assistance to members of the musical community.
