Willie Nelson Covers Dave Matthews
These days find Willie keeping one eye on the IRS, and the other on the crop of younger singer-songwriters out there. We heard him somewhat forgettably duet with Ryan a little while back, but here he's looking to the works of Farm Aid pal and actor extraordinare Dave Matthews. The man of the eponymous Band doesn't turn up on the tune, though, rather it's just Willie pulling cover duty on "Gravedigger," from Dave's 2003 solo LP Some Devil. None of us really dug the track in its initial incarnation (although Some Devil was more moving throughout than most anything DMB put out post-Crash), but hearing the near-death themes filter through Willie's quaking tenor brings some authentic, fatalistic grit to the cut's pleas. Worth a listen. Unfortunately it cuts out towards the end, but still you can stream most of it here.
Willie's Moment Of Forever, featuring a duet with Kenny Chesney and songs written by Dylan, Randy Newman, Kris Kristofferson, Big Kenny (Big & Rich), and the outlaw himself is out 1/29 on Lost Highway.
UPDATE: There's a video too! Starring Willie as the preacher, the gravedigger, the hearse driver, and, naturally, the corpse. Watch at Amazon.
[Dave pic via Flickr]
Posted at 10:26 AM
Tags: Dave Matthews | Willie Nelson
say what you will about post 1997 dave matthews... but this version isn't much more than a phoned in, Cash in.
at least dave put some emotion into his rendition.
Score = 0
I agree with Bricks. That's pretty awful. I hate all things DMB, but Dave's version is much more moving than Willie's.
Score = 0
Holy Johnny Cash.
Score = 0
I gotta say that I like the cover version, but Dave's is much better.
Score = 0