Common
Threads
Five other
collaborations off
Crow’s new record
“I wanted her on the record
because she doesn’t sound like
anybody but her. She has an
old-soul kind of thing, almost
like a throwback to Billie
Holiday, that you just don’t hear
much anymore, and it’s not
put-on. It is her.”
Beware of Darkness
featuring Eric Clapton,
Sting, and Brandi Carlile
Further proof that Crow knows
how to mix ingredients and
generations, this song finds
Clapton paying tribute
to his late friend George
Harrison on a song he origi-
nally played on, with Sting
and Carlile offering perfect
vocal counterpoint. “As much
as I wanted any live person on
the record, I wanted George,”
says Crow, calling the late
Beatle’s solo effort All Things
Must Pass “my favorite
record of all time. With what’s
going on in the world and
with having small kids, I
wanted to record that song.
And the first person I thought
of was Eric. I love him and
he’s been such a huge inspira-
tion for me, and obviously
he and George have a whole
history together. I think he
really delivered on that song
in a way that just makes
me weep. And Brandi, I don’t
want to say she’s like my
daughter, but I’ve known
Brandi for years. Up until the
[2019] Grammys, she wasn’t
getting the acknowledgment
that I felt like she should.
She’s the real deal, and people
are finally getting hip to
how brilliant she is. I wanted
her motherly voice on it.”
For the Sake
of Love
featuring Vince Gill
“Anything he sings makes me
cry,” says Crow of the country
star. “I mean, he could sing
the freaking phone book and
it just would kill me.” Gill
lent his celestial tenor and
guitar prowess to not just this
track but several. “He likes
to share in cooking up some-
thing original.” Gill confirms
he was more than happy
to oblige.
“She’s one of my best pals,
and I just adore what she
does,” says the multi- Grammy
winner, who has his own
new album, Okie, out Aug. 23.
“When you’re musical and
you have a musician side to
you, which she does, it’s
real easy to just want to be part
of her band.” �
Tell Me
When It’s Over
Chris Stapleton
Don’t
Lucius
Flying Blind
James Taylor
Wouldn’t Want
to Be Like You
St. Vincent
Live Wire
Bonnie Raitt and
Mavis Staples
→ Joe Walsh, Crow,
Vince Gill, and
Threads producer
Steve Jordan
RAITT: JAMIE MCCARTHY/FILMMAGIC; STAPLES: SYLVAIN GABOURY/PATRICK MCMULLAN VIA GETTY IMAGES; ST. VINCENT: JIM SPELLMAN/WIREIMAGE; TAYLOR: DAVID LIVINGSTON/GETTY IMAGES; LUCIUS: JB LACROIX/WIREIMAGE; STAPLETON: AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC
