Lucinda Williams – “Save Yourself” (Sharon Van Etten Cover)
Earlier this month, Sharon Van Etten announced epic Ten. It’s a 10th anniversary reissue of her sophomore album, featuring a whole second half with other artists covering each song on the album. So far we’ve heard her pals Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner offer a Big Red Machine take on opener “A Crime,” and the caustic British punks IDLES interpret “Peace Signs,” one of the more rock-oriented songs in SVE’s catalogue. Today, we get to hear another selection from the tribute album.
When epic Ten was first announced, a lot of the tracklist was made up of SVE’s contemporaries or artists younger than her, like the aforementioned Big Red Machine and IDLES but also Courtney Barnett, Vagabon, and Shamir. But there were also some older artists, people who presumably would’ve been an influence on Van Etten. These immediately jumped out as some of the most enticing/curious inclusions on the album. Fiona Apple covering “Love More” and Lucinda Williams covering “Save Yourself” — it’s almost like fan fiction come to life.
Today, Williams has shared her version of “Save Yourself.” Here you have a veteran musician revered for her songwriting nodding to a younger musician also revered for her songwriting. Check it out below.
epic Ten is out digitally 4/16 and physically 6/11 via Ba Da Bing. Pre-order it here.