G. Love has announced his fourth solo album, called, cheerfully, Fixin’ to Die. For this one he replaced his highly-regarded hip-hop collective Special Sauce with a decidedly rootsier group: the Avett Brothers. The pair not only produced the disc, but play the role of Love’s backup band. Recorded in a converted church, Love described the back-to-basics blues album as “the record behind all the other records.”
“It was an emotional recording session and I was truly blown away by the level of focus, care and passion Scott & Seth [Avett] brought to it,” G. Love said. “It was a tremendously positive and encouraging experience. This is the most inspired I’ve ever felt making a record.”
If that album title sounds familiar, you know your delta blues. Or you at least know your Bob Dylan. Bukka White first recorded the song “Fixin’ to Die” sometime in the ‘30s, but the most well-known recording came in 1962 on Dylan’s death-obsessed debut. G. Love’s version with the Avetts infuses the thick blue stomp with just a hint of hip-hop flavor. Download it below, then stream Dylan’s version for comparison.
MP3: G. Love – Fixin’ to Die (Bukka White cover)
[audio: News1210/03FixintoDie.mp3|artists=G. Love|titles=Fixin to Die]
Stream: Bob Dylan – Fixin’ to Die (Bukka White cover)
‘Fixin’ to Die’ drops February 22 on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. It also includes a cover of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”
[…] first heard G. Love and the Avett Brothers’ “Fixin’ to Die” collaboration last month, but today we bring it back with visual accompaniment. The new music video shows the band recording […]