Courtney Barnett and Paul Kelly have combined to produce a cover of the Archie Roach classic Charcoal Lane, for the 25h anniversary of Roach’s debut album Charcoal Lane.
The pair pay tribute to Roach’s tune with a steady rhythmical drive, laying the foundation for Kelly’s trademark harmonica and Barnett’s grungy yet tender guitar tones. The second verse sees the introduction of that acoustic line we know all too well from the original, whilst Kelly and Barnett trade lines and share the chorus together. Listen below via The Guardian
Charcoal Lane is celebrated for its songwriting and politically-charged lyrical content, with other cuts including Roach’s infamous Took the Children Away.
The collaboration is just another box for Courtney to tick off the bucket list for 2015, having also recently supported Blur at Madison Square Garden, torn American TV a new one with her raucous performance on ‘The Tonight Show’ and collaborating on a new single with Jack White.
She is just one of an impressive list of guest musicians for the Charcoal Lane re-issue, with the likes of Briggs, Gurrumul, Dewayne Everettsmith, Emma Donovan and Dan Sultan all contributing covers.
Who knows? Maybe we can expect a guest appearance if Barnett chooses to include the cover in her set when she tours Australia next January. Dates Below.
Tour Dates
Thursday, Jan 7th- Astor Theatre, Perth
Saturday, Jan 16th- Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Friday, Jan 22nd- Palais Theatre, Melbourne
(All dates supported by Cloud Control)