Shortly after John Prine‘s death in April 2020, dozens of artists took part in a livestream paying tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter. One such artist was Phoebe Bridgers who performed “Summer’s End” off Prine’s final album, 2018’s Tree of Forgiveness. On Tuesday, Bridgers shared a studio recording of “Summer’s End” alongside Maria Taylor (Azure Ray) for the Spotify Singles series. Also included with the Prine cover is a new rendition of Bridgers’ “Kyoto” featuring vocals from Jackson Browne.
On “Summer’s End”, Prine took an unflinching look at the opioid crisis that plagues the United States, specifically in his native midwest. The raw emotionalism of “Summer’s End” makes the ideal template for Bridgers as she applies the haunting vocals and overall musical aurora that landed her a Best New Artist nod.
Meanwhile, in the updated take on “Kyoto”, Bridgers also takes an acoustic bent as she is joined by another legendary singer-songwriter. The recording is still primarily Bridgers and presents a stripped-down version of the song that served as a template for what would become a pop hit. Only the slightest hints of Browne’s backing vocals can be heard behind Bridgers as her nubile voice intertwines with Browne’s matured tone in a torch-passing moment from one songwriter to another.
Stream Phoebe Bridgers’ cover of John Prine’s “Summer’s End” and her updated take on “Kyoto” with Jackson Browne exclusively on Spotify.
Phoebe Bridgers – Spotify Singles
Spotify Singles will release a pair of songs from nominees for Best New Artists every day leading up to the Grammys on March 14th. So far the series has also seen releases from Black Pumas, CHIKA, and more.
[H/T Brooklyn Vegan]