Nicki Bluhm was joined by former Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers bandmate and current ALO bassist Steve Adams for a cover of Sonny & Cher’s 1967 smash “The Beat Goes On.” The track is the first in a line of eight digital singles due for monthly release through December that make up The Beat Goes On, Nicki Bluhm Sings Cher.
Singer-songwriter Nicki Bluhm put together The Beat Goes On, Nicki Bluhm Sings Cher, a tribute to the early music catalog of Cher, in 2020 while recording her latest solo album Avondale Avenue (2022). Bluhm worked with producer Jesse Noah Wilson on both projects and used the covers LP as a fun way to beat the doldrums of the pandemic.
Nicki Bluhm and Jesse Noah Wilson picked eight songs released by Cher before 1974 to record for The Beat Goes On, Nicki Bluhm Sings Cher. Included within are tunes written by the likes of Sonny Bono, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood. In addition to “The Beat Goes On” duet with Steve Adams, Bluhm also recruited Nashville neighbor Butch Walker for “I Got You Babe” and Mapache co-founder Sam Blasucci to contribute to “Baby Don’t Go.”
“Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from baring your soul and sing someone else’s songs,” Bluhm explained about the project. “Selecting those songs, the right ones, can sometimes be as hard as writing one. Interpreting someone else’s words is another nuanced layer to making a cover song resonate as your own.
“I’ve always been one of many admirers of Cher; her sense of fashion and boldness, the many roles she played and won me over with, her deep and sultry voice and most importantly her endless joie de vivre,” Nicki added. “We had so much fun with these songs, looking back into a history that seemed more romantic and carefree. It was a refreshing way to honor a living legend and some of those who helped her shine along the way.”
“The Beat Goes On” was penned by Sonny Bono. Members of the legendary squad of studio musicians, The Wrecking Crew, including bassist Carol Kaye, pianist Mac “Dr. John” Rebennack Jr., drummer Jim Gordon and guitarist Barney Kessel backed Sonny and Cher on what became their signature song.
Nicki Bluhm’s “The Beat Goes On” features Steve Adams in the Sonny Bono role. The band on the cover consists of Jesse Noah Wilson and Ellen Angelico on guitars, bassist Cameron Carrus, drummer Richard Millsap and keyboardist Jeff Adamczyk. Watch the video for Nicki’s version of “The Beat Goes On” below:
