Jul 312023
 
best cover songs
Bob Dylan — Bad Actor (Merle Haggard cover)

Bob Dylan has been on a covers roll this year. On tour, he has primarily covered a number of Dead (“Truckin’,” “Stella Blue,” “Brokedown Palace”) or Dead-associated (“Not Fade Away,” “Only a River”) songs. But he’s dipped into other classic catalogs occasionally too. He did Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” for the first time and then, not long after, maybe the deepest cut yet: Merle Haggard’s 2016 track “Bad Actor.” The tape took a while to surface. It was worth the wait. Continue reading »

Jul 252023
 
Alexa Rose

“Passionate Kisses” is the fourth single from Lucinda Williams‘ breakthrough self-titled third album. A few years later it gained fame through a cover by Mary Chapin Carpenter, a faithful rendition somewhat prettied up by Carpenter’s smoother voice and the mainstream country production. (Check out the slow piano introduction to Carpenter’s version. It could be an entirely different song.) It’s arguably this cover that broke Williams.

Alexa Rose is a North Carolina-based singer-songwriter originally from Virginia. She’s put out two albums of her own material and just released an EP this week, which features a cover of “Passionate Kisses” in addition to two original songs. Continue reading »