Whitney have always had a way with covers, having incorporating them into their live sets from the start (when they only had one album's worth of songs), and bringing their own touch to them. They've just announced Candid, which is an all-covers album that will be out August 14 via Secretly Canadian. The album includes their take on John Denver's classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads" that features Waxahatchee and their cover of SWV's "Rain" (which were both released back in May), plus songs by David Byrne & Brian Eno, Damien Jurado, Blaze Foley, Kelela, and more.
“We love these songs and all have an emotional connection to each one," says guitarist Max Kakacek, "but we really wanted to see if we could take the skeleton of each track and approach it in a way that felt new. We didn’t want to recreate what any of these artists already did."
Candid was recorded this winter before COVID-19 lockdown and is also the first Whitney album to feature the full touring lineup of the band. “This is the first time we really saw what the live iteration of Whitney sounds like in a studio. It was a really celebratory vibe and everyone in the room fed off each other’s energy,” says Max.
They've just shared their lovely version of The Roches' "Hammond Song" (which has also been covered by Terry Hall's post-Specials/Fun Boy Three band The Colourfield). Stream that below.
Whitney released Forever Turned Around in August 2019.
TRACKLIST: 01 “Bank Head” (Kelela) 02 “A.M. A.M” (Damien Jurado) 03 “Take Me Home, Country Roads” ft. Waxahatchee (John Denver) 04 “High On A Rocky Ledge” (Moondog) 05 “Something Happen” (Jack Arel) 06 “Strange Overtones” (David Byrne/Brian Eno) 07 “Hammond Song” (The Roches) 08 “Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying” (Labi Siffre) 09 “Rain” (SWV) 10 “Rainbows And Ridges” (Blaze Foley)
Check out photos of Whitney from last year's Woodsist Fest:
