a dank and rainy gloomy day here only pierced by this haunting rendition of a great song from the wonderment that is Emily Barker - check out that VOICE!
Female-led Murder Ballads are actually something of a rarity. Emily and I talked about re-interpreting a male one - apparently there's a female led version of Big Iron she figured out - but we landed on this one. "The Box It Came In". Originally recorded by Wanda Jackson in 1965, her producer Ken Alpin at the time was worried the message might be wrong for her audience. Wanda told him to she'd always loved feisty songs, and it was a hit, staying in the billboard charts for three months. Emily's slowed it down, and Emily Barkered it. It's why I asked her - she's one of the few people alive who's done justice to a Tom Waits cover, and she's a fearless musician in her own right, constantly pushing her own path. I guess she's feisty in her own way. She's taken this track and done something fresh with it, that's very much her vibe. The wonderful Lukas Drinkwater mixed and mastered the audio for us at Polyphonic recording. Emily's music can be found somewhat predictably at https://www.emilybarker.com/ . If you're unfamiliar with her work, you can listen to a "best of" here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7vx... And Lukas can be found here: https://www.LukasDrinkwater.com Splitting her time between the UK and Australia, she'll be in your town soon. Just don't look her in the eye. Skeleton Key Songs are traditional "Murder Ballads" that have been re-interpreted, re-performed and re-contextualised over time. It's an open invitational to artists to pick one they're fond of, one they've written or one they want to put their own spin on - an ongoing, intermittent folk archive project. And if you like this sort of thing, you can do all the YouTube cliches, which help more people see cool stuff. I'd sure appreciate it. Shot on @Canon Europe cameras and some weird anamorphic lenses, on location in Stroud, UK.
Emily says:
A few months back, my friend, the talented photographer and filmmaker, Ben Morse, asked me if I'd contribute a cover of a murder ballad for his new project 'Skeleton Key Songs'. It was a treat to learn this beauty by Wanda Jackson...
My clothes are all ragged, my Goodwill coat's not the best
And I'm walking on cardboard in my last dollar dress
I looked in the closet for my wedding gown
But the box that it came in was all that I found
He took everything with him that wasn't nailed down
Bet he's got a new sweetheart to fill my wedding gown
But somewhere I'll find him, then I'll have peace of mind
And the box he comes home in will be all satin-lined
He took everything with him that wasn't nailed down
Bet he's got a new sweetheart to fill my wedding gown
But somewhere I'll find him, then I'll have peace of mind
And the box he comes home in will be all satin-lined
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