Preview two of the 16 covers of John Denver classic tunes that are featured on the new tribute album The Music Is You: A Tribute To John Denver, which is to be released on April 2nd via ATO Records.
Fifteen years after his death and 40 years after the release of his widely beloved song “Rocky Mountain High,” ATO Records will celebrate John Denver’s life and music with The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver, slated for April 2. The album features covers of Denver’s most popular songs by a diverse group of artists including Dave Matthews, My Morning Jacket, Train, Amos Lee, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Brandi Carlile & Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Josh Ritter and Barnstar!, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kathleen Edwards (produced by Jim James), Brett Dennen & Milow, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Allen Stone, Blind Pilot, J Mascis & Sharon Van Etten and Evan Dando. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Wilderness Society in Denver’s name.
John Denver, the two-time Grammy Award-winning singer songwriter (and five-time Grammy Awards host) and the Poet Laureate of Colorado, released 23 studio albums in his lifetime. He is best known for the beloved songs “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Sunshine On My Shoulders, “Annie’s Song” and “Rocky Mountain High,” which is the state song of Colorado. Denver is the 53rd highest selling artist worldwide with over 33 million records sold and seven Billboard Top Ten Albums in the U.S. His catalogue continues to sell thousands of units per week. He has had seven multiplatinum, thirteen platinum and 20 gold U.S. Certified albums. Among his numerous awards and recognitions, Denver was instrumental in championing environmental causes and space exploration.
Track Listing includes:
1. Leaving On A Jet Plane by My Morning Jacket
2. Take Me To Tomorrow by Dave Matthews
3. All Of My Memories by Kathleen Edwards
4. Prisoners by J Mascis and Sharon Van Etten
5. Sunshine On My Shoulders by Train
6. Back Home Again by Old Crow Medicine Show
7. This Old Guitar by Lucinda Williams
8. Some Days Are Diamonds by Amos Lee
9. Rocky Mountain High by Allen Stone
10. Annie’s Song by Brett Dennen and Milow
11. Looking For Space by Evan Dando
12. Take Me Home, Country Roads by Brandi Carlile and Emmylou Harris
13. The Eagle And The Hawk by Blind Pilot
14. I Guess He’d Rather Be In Colorado by Mary Chapin Carpenter
15. Darcy Farrow by Josh Ritter and Barnstar!
16. Wooden Indian by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
My personal faves are Amos Lee’s soulful rendition of “Some Days Are Diamonds”, Allen Stone’s soothing “Rocky Mountain High”, and Train’s pretty straightforward version of “Sunshine On My Shoulders”. The album as a whole is very mellow, acoustic, and folksy which makes it safe product for the current John Denver fanbase. If you like John Denver’s music, you’re pretty sure to like this tribute album also. Make sure you check it out.
Here are some more preview clips and background info for you:
