Sheryl Crow believes in the transformative power of music, and todayâs release of a duet with the late Johnny Cash, âRedemption Day,â is a clear indication the world does too. âThis song has had a lot of different lives,â says Crow of the track that originally appeared on her Grammy-winning, triple platinum album Sheryl Crow in 1996. âItâs led me to some strange and interesting opportunities.â Today marks one of those times as a re-recorded version leads her forthcoming album on The Valory Music Co., slated for late summer.
Crow wrote âRedemption Dayâ in 1996 after a visit to Bosnia with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. âIâd never been anywhere even close to a war-torn area,â she says. âWe visited different military bases, played for the troops, and met with families.â But when she returned home, the news was covering the ongoing genocide in Rwanda.
In 2003, Crow sang at June Carter Cashâs funeral, and soon after, received a call from one of Johnny Cashâs sons-in-law, who said that he had played âRedemption Dayâ for Cash and that the Man in Black wanted to talk to her. âHe asked a lot of questions about different lines and what I meant,â says Crow. âHe didnât want to put his voice to the song without being able to believe it heart and soul.â
Cash recorded the song and told Crow that he felt it was the cornerstone of his next album, but his version wasnât released until 2010âs American VI: Ainât No Grave album. While on tour in 2014 Crow performed âRedemption Dayâ as a duet with Cashâs recording, projecting his image onstageâwhich inspired her to approach his estate with the idea of re-recording the song, adding Cashâs voice to a new arrangement, for her new project.
The video for âRedemption Day,â directed by Sean Silva, incorporates footage of Cash next to scenes of a young child watching history unfold, in all of its tragedy and triumph. âAs a mom of two young kids,â says Crow, âI see that our kids watch what we do on their behalf and how we shape their future. Theyâre privy to everything visual, especially now, and thereâs no way to shield your child from the roughness of reality. If we could see the world through a childâs eyes, we would make different decisions.â
Incorporating Johnny Cash into this projectâalongside songs with other friends from Keith Richards to Stevie Nicks to St. Vincentâmeans more to Sheryl Crow than just the sound and memory of one of Americaâs greatest icons. âWith whatâs happening in our nation now, and how dire things look, to have Johnnyâs voice offers some hope,â she says. âKnowing how he felt about the song, I feel pretty certain that he would have some wisdom to impart about whatâs happening now and who we are becoming. I hope that wherever he is, he feels proud to be a part of itâI certainly feel his presence in the song.â
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