Last week’s link in the chain was from Shawn Colvin – who is a musical collaborator par excellence, having worked with the likes of Mary Chapin Carpenter and Steve Earle, as well as providing backing vocals on Suzanne Vega’s ‘Luka‘. Interestingly all three appeared on ‘Dead Man Walking – music from and inspired by the motion picture.’ Which is an excellent album (we may return to this topic at some point). This link in the chain is a collaboration that also comes from that same album. The combination of Eddie Vedder with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was an inspired one – reworking one of Vedder’s songs from his Neil Young & Pearl Jam days as a meditation on final redemption is an act of pure brilliance, with the addition of Ry Cooder on slide guitar and Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan on harmonium, Joachim Cooder on dumbek and Dildar Hussain’s gorgeous tabla there is a sound that is…perfection. It’s a song that is so stunning it insists on repeat plays – and if you, dear reader, find yourself listening to it all day then all I can say is “you’re very welcome“.
And, although this is sort of cheating it would be remiss of us to not mention that there’s also a much longer version of the song, which is stunningly awesome as well. You’re doubly welcome.
