Two icons of classic rock bad-assery have teamed up and dropped a cover of a Blues favorite, “Awful Dream” by Lightnin’ Hopkins.
The blues is the progenitor of rock and roll, and many other forms of American music. This song kicks off with a rattling guitar riff off of what sounds like a twelve string dobro. Slash is all feel and no flash throughout this track, really serving the song and delivering the goods. Iggy’s voice fits like a glove over this track. It’s deep, it’s concerned, it’s worn, it’s perfect. For a blues song in 2024, this one shamelessly hits the nail on the head.
Lightnin’ Hopkins was born in 1912, and likely recorded the original version of this song in the 1960s. The biggest difference between the original and Slash’s update, is the guitarwork. Hopkins is a lot busier upholding a blues tradition of, “when the singer isn’t talking the guitar is.” The form in the original is more loose and raw. Slash made a tasteful move by not overplaying in his cover. He served the song and although his rendition of the main riff was different, it was how Slash made the song his own. The song is about a man who sees his own death in his dream and is explaining to the listener how it felt.
Photo Credit: Jenna Houchin
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