It is never difficult to find Classic Clips of favourite artists, but at short notice this proved a little trickier than usual. Nevertheless, here we go with a fabulous acoustic duet version of probably the highlight of John Hiatt’s album “Leftover Feelings” (2021), with the peerless Jerry Douglas doing what Jerry Douglas usually does, adding something special to everything he plays on.
Jerry Douglas and John Hiatt are somewhere in the same age range and have been longtime friends (they were once neighbours, too). Somewhat surprising therefore, that they had not previously got together on an album, especially given their respective status in the wider musical field, and especially more lately in the americana genre. Hiatt has made twenty-four albums in his 50-year career, ranging from folk rock to blues rock and ultimately in this branch of music we call americana. He is a top-quality songwriter and it was this that prompted his manager to suggest a collaboration with Douglas’ band for his latest album. Douglas readily accepted the idea and the result is “Leftover Feelings“.
Douglas is perhaps the busiest musician on the planet; he has made 16 albums in his own name or as a collaborator, another 7 with Alison Krauss as part of her backing band Union Station, and several more as part of The Transatlantic Sessions. In total, he has produced more than 100 albums and appeared as a session player on more than 1600 albums. And is a multi-award winner.
The collaboration with Hiatt is a joy. Douglas decided to play without a drummer in order to ensure Hiatt’s distinctive voice was front and centre in the mix. The album was nominated for a Grammy in 2022. This track was actually written in the early 2000s for inclusion in one of Hiatt’s earlier albums, but benefits enormously from Douglas’ truly memorable playing, including this version from the Ryman Unplugged sessions. Enjoy!
