Bluegrass ingenue Sarah Jarosz releases her second album, Follow Me Down, in a couple of weeks. Remarkably young – she turns 20 later this month – she performs with a maturity well beyond her years. Her new LP includes a couple of covers, most notably Radiohead’s “The Tourist,” on which she partners with the Punch Brothers.
Together, they deliver a stunning interpretation of the song. Using acoustic guitar, banjo and cello, they create a stripped-down version that loses none of the power or atmosphere of the original. Jarosz’s vocal, ably backed up with the Punch Brothers’ harmonies, has echoes of Gillian Welch at her best – fragile, yet noble. Listen to the track below and imagine what her version of Bob Dylan’s “Ring Them Bells” will sound like!
Sarah Jarosz – The Tourist (Radiohead cover)
Check out more Sarah Jarosz on her website.
The complete album, including Ring Them Bells, is available for streaming from NPR until the official release date (May 17).
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/02/135770158/first-listen-sarah-jarosz-follow-me-down
Dislike this intensely. I am getting to hate the ‘pretty girl with good voice’ covers of songs that I love and that have been my rock and my hard place for so many years. It’s like stealing. I know many won’t agree with me here, but really, I hate to see this song stolen for the attention’s sake.
“Attention’s sake”? Whatever you say bro. These guys are world class musicians and really successful in their scene, and just cover Radiohead because they are fans and like their music. Also calling Sarah Jarosz a “pretty girl with good voice” is so lame, she has been nominated for multiple Grammys and is a really talented singer and instrumentalist. No one is forcing you to listen to this song, and you don’t own it. To be honest, you sound like the cringiest kind of music fan.