Nashville singer-songwriter Jaime Wyatt adds her voice to the rich legacy of the Grateful Dead with her new cover of “Althea”. The track features production and guitar licks from Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas) and is set to appear on her album Feel Good, which Quesada also produced, out November 3rd via New West Records.
Wyatt’s connection with the Grateful Dead goes back to childhood, attending countless concerts as a kid. The show didn’t stop there, however, as she often watched guitarist Bob Weir jam and drink wine with her dad in the family’s living room. It’s this musical connection to her late father that first inspired Wyatt to cover a Dead song in the first place.
As Grateful Dead historian and host of the nationally syndicated Grateful Dead Hour David Gans said, “Tell the story in your own voice.” Meaning, add your own personality to this tome of songs passed down from one generation to the next for the past half century-plus. That’s exactly what Wyatt has done with “Althea”, as she injects a soulful element that plays up the inherent sensuality of the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter ballad, with Wyatt observing, “It’s such a sexy and soulful song.”
“I was always taken with the lyrics and it has been quite satisfying and cathartic to sing the lines, ‘Self-centered to the extreme,’” she added. “The story feels like turmoil, confusion, and conspiracy, a sentiment which is universal to us humans, but if you’ve ever been on drugs or been addicted to a person, you really understand these words.”
Wyatt will have a prime opportunity to road-test her “Althea” cover in January when she appears at the new Dead Ahead Mexican destination event. Taking the place of Dead & Company‘s Playing In The Sand, and featuring five out of six of the band members, the new concert vacation will see curated collaborations between Sturgill Simpson, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Rick Mitarotonda (Goose), and Margo Price with Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, Jay Lane, and Don Was. Wyatt will appear as a supporting artist alongside acoustic Goose offshoot Orebolo, Dead House DJ LP Giobbi, rising bluegrass mandolinist Sierra Hull, and more.
Check out Jaime Wyatt’s new cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Althea” below or on your preferred streaming platform. Feel Good is available here for pre-order.
Jaime Wyatt – “Althea” (Grateful Dead)
The post Country Singer Jaime Wyatt Adds Her Soul To Grateful Dead’s “Althea” [Listen] appeared first on L4LM.
