The New Basement Tapes have officially released a new single entitled “Spanish Mary.” Inspired by long-lost Bob Dylan lyrics, the group reveals a strong ballad off their upcoming album, Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes.
Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and Rhiannon Giddens of Carolina Chocolate Drops recording as The New Basement Tapes at Capitol Studios. (Sam Jones)
Star-studded supergroup The New Basement Tapes has released their latest single from their anticipated album, Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes. The band, comprised of Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons), have based their upcoming album on Bob Dylan’s own handwritten lyrics from 1967.
“Spanish Mary” features the strong, expressive lead vocals of Rhiannon Giddens, who co-wrote the song with the help of Bob Dylan. Giddens’ powerful voice rings throughout the song over vigorous strums of the banjo.
“Out of all the lyrics I looked through for the New Basement Tapes project, the one for “Spanish Mary” attracted me first – here was a ballad, and I know ballads! It’s also set in the Caribbean, so I felt the deep African sound of the minstrel style banjo (circa 1856) was appropriate. It was an absolute thrill to get to set music to Dylan’s lyrics, what an opportunity! This project is marked with utter generosity from everyone involved,” Giddens said of the single.
Giddens’ strong-sung ballad of “the love of Spanish Mary” is accompanied by a lyric video to the song – which was released on Vevo on October 14. The video presents storybook-esque illustrations exuding a tone that is both eerie and sinister.
In March 2014, The New Basement Tapes and producer T Bone Burnett came together at Capitol Studios in Hollywood to create innovative music inspired by the long-lost lyrics of 26-year-old Bob Dylan. Over the span of merely two weeks, the all-star cast contributed their vocal and instrumental talents on numerous tracks. Look out for their full album, Lost On the River: The New Basement Tapes, which is set for release on November 10.
Watch the lyric video below.
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