Last week, we premiered a moving cover of John Denver’s “Some Days Are Diamonds” by Philly’s Amos Lee. It comes from the excellent John Denver tribute LP The Music Is You, out next week on ATO Records, and this week you can hear the entire star-studded compilation – which features contributions from My Morning Jacket, Sharon Van Etten, Brandi Carlisle and more – via the NPR Music First Listen series. NPR’s Robin Hilton has this to say:
Denver, who wrote unabashedly sentimental songs about love, nature and an ever-homesick life on the road, had a rare gift for stirring something inside listeners. To many, his melodies and lyrics could come off as maudlin and conventional. But for the countless believers — and there are many — Denver was a poet, a visionary and a constant companion.
The artists assembled for a new John Denver tribute record, The Music Is You, likely fall into the latter category. The album, out April 2, showcases some of Denver’s most beloved songs, as performed by a cross-genre, cross-generational and impressive mix of musicians — many of whom were in elementary school in the ’70s and ’80s, when Denver was singing on The Muppet Show and appearing in kid-friendly TV specials.
Listen to The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver in its entirety here.
