Review: Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit’s ‘Georgia Blue’

 Posted by at 2:00 pm  1 Response »
Oct 182021
 

Georgia BlueWhen Joe Biden was bidding for POTUS, Jason Isbell declared his support by tweeting a promise. If the state of Georgia, his home state, went blue (Democrat), a possibility hitherto deemed impossible, he would record a cover album of Georgia-related songs for charity, “and damn is that gonna be fun.” As Isbell would later say, he had been looking for an excuse to record such a record for some time, but this now offered the ideal opportunity.

Well, Georgia went blue, against the odds and expectations, and with the release of Georgia Blue, three organizations are the better off for it, with all the album’s proceeds going toward Black Voters Matter, Georgia Stand-Up and Fair Fight.
Continue reading »

The Best Cover Songs of September

 Posted by at 12:00 pm  No Responses »
Sep 302021
 
best cover songs of september
Beyoncé – Moon River (Mancini/Mercer cover

Any month with a new cover by Beyoncé is a big month. Admittedly, her piano-crooning “Moon River” like so many others have piano-crooned “Moon River” – and for a Tiffany’s ad no less – is slightly underwhelming. But we’ll take what we can get, and, even if the approach is hardly novel, Beyoncé’s got the pipes to deliver. Continue reading »

Lera Lynn and John Paul White Cover Country Standard “Almost Persuaded”

 Posted by at 10:00 am  No Responses »
Jul 052018
 
lera lynn john paul white

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus once said that “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Well, the classic “Almost Persuaded” would disagree, arguing one can come out spiritually unscathed if contemplate breaking one’s marriage vows. The rare song about almost cheating was a massive hit for singer David Houston in the late ‘60s, and has been covered extensively across genders and genres, with versions by the likes of Merle Haggard and Tammy Wynette as well as a gut-wrenching R&B rendition by Etta James.

Continue reading »

Hear New Bob Dylan Covers from Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Kurt Vile, Emmylou Harris, City & Colour, Boz Scaggs, and Many More

 Posted by at 10:00 am  3 Responses »
Aug 302016
 

A few months back, Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium hosted two star-studded tribute concerts to Bob Dylan to celebrate his 75th birthday. Kesha performing “I Shall Be Released” was the big news-maker as her first high-profile performance during her ongoing legal battle, but many other members of country and Americana royalty also took the stage for an amazing couple nights. The full thing was webcast, but it hasn’t been archived anywhere, so if you missed that you were stuck with grainy YouTube videos – until now. We’ve got every song to stream below (except Kesha, which wasn’t webcast, presumably for legal reasons). For the first time since that night, you can hear pristine recordings of Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Kurt Vile, Emmylou Harris, Butch Walker, Wynonna Judd, Boz Scaggs, Langhorne Slim, John Paul Williams of the Civil Wars, Ann Wilson of Heart, and more covering their favorite Dylan songs, many for the first time ever. Continue reading »