Sheryl Crow just released “Redemption Day,” a very powerful, poignant and timely duet with the late Johnny Cash. It’s a song she wrote in the mid-90’s and originally released on her 1996 self-titled second album. Just weeks before his passing in 2003, Johnny Cash recorded a version of “Redemption Day,” that wouldn’t be released until 2010 on the album, American VI: Ain’t No Grave.
Fast forward to three years ago, when Sheryl began working on a project of collaborations, that she believes will be her last full album. She says, “I go into make this record, I’m sitting at the piano, I start playing the piano, and Johnny [Cash] was all over it. I mean, I’m one of those woo-woo metaphysical geeks, but I feel like if you listen, you can hear, and I feel like he was all over it.”
Feeling as though “Redemption Day” needed to be on her next album, as a collaboration between her and Johnny Cash’s previously recorded version of the song, Sheryl contacted his son, John Carter, and she says, “He was so brilliantly open to the idea of allowing me to re-create the song for this moment. And this is the moment. I feel like the song has found its moment, which is what you want for your songs. It’s great when they can re-create life for themselves, but this, I think, is the moment, and I think he had a lot to do with the timing of this. And I hope he feels proud about it.”
“Redemption Day” will be featured on the collaborations album Sheryl will release later this summer, also featuring Keith Richards, Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh and many others.
Sheryl Crow – Redemption Day with Johnny :40
“I go into make this record, I’m sitting at the piano, I start playing the piano, and Johnny [Cash] was all over it. I mean, I’m one of those woo-woo metaphysical geeks, but I feel like if you listen, you can hear, and I feel like he was all over it. And so, we called John Carter and he was so brilliantly open to the idea of allowing me to re-create the song for this moment. And this is the moment. I feel like the song has found its moment, which is what you want for your songs. It’s great when they can re-create life for themselves, but this, I think, is the moment, and I think he had a lot to do with the timing of this. And I hope he feels proud about it.”