It's rewarding to hear a strong cover tune in an unexpected context. On KDHX this morning, I heard a guitar instrumental that made me think, "Wait a minute. I recognize that chorus. Is this what I think it is? It is."
Martin Simpson released his cover of the Cat Stevens tune, "The First Cut Is The Deepest," in 1983, but today was the first time I'd heard it. In their vocals, Cat Stevens and Sheryl Crow convey the mournful feeling that accompanies rejection. Simpson successfully transfers that pathos entirely to the guitar, and it works just as well.
