Rufus Wainwright Recruits Andrew Bird & Chris Stills For Neil Young Cover

05-03-2023

Album art

(Big Hassle) Rufus Wainwright shares "Harvest (feat. Andrew Bird & Chris Stills)," available now at all DSPs and streaming services. This interpretation of a Neil Young classic heralds Wainwright's eagerly awaited new album, Folkocracy, a star-studded collection of folk music reinventions arriving Friday, June 2 via BMG in a range of formats including digital download, CD, and vinyl.

"The music of Neil Young has been part of my entire life. What has always drawn me to him are his lyrics. I think that lyrics are often underrated in today's music. But then of course with Neil Young you also get these absolutely iconic melodies and the sound quality of his albums is simply amazing. He is the full package.

"To record Harvest was a pure joy. I had never sung with Andrew or recorded with him playing the violin and he is so inherently musical that it feels so natural to sing such a sophisticated song with him. And it was amazing to include my old friend Chris Stills on this track who probably was fed Neil Young's voice with his mother's milk. Chris has one of the most beautiful voices I have heard and his harmonizing is absolutely delicious."
- Rufus Wainwright

Folkocracy sees Wainwright joined by a spectacular lineup of friends, family members, and other special guest artists including Brandi Carlile, John Legend, David Byrne, Sheryl Crow, Nicole Scherzinger, Chaka Khan, Andrew Bird, ANOHNI, Susanna Hoffs, Van Dyke Parks, Madison Cunningham, and many more. Produced by longtime collaborator Mitchell Froom (Paul McCartney, Crowded House), the album includes the haunting first single, "Down in the Willow Garden (feat. Brandi Carlile)," hailed by The Boot as "goosebump-worthy...Wainwright and Carlile seamlessly blend their voices while telling the haunting story of a brutal murder from the perpetrator's perspective," the timeless track is accompanied by an official music video streaming now at YouTube HERE. The second single, "Heading Home (feat. John Legend)" is a joyous rendition of the Peggy Seeger folk standard.