Moby recently released a new single and an accompanying music video for “Like a Motherless Child.” The song comes off his forthcoming album, Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt. The single features LA-based Raquel Rodriguez. “Like a Motherless Child” is a reworking of a famous spiritual that dates back to the era of slavery in the U.S. One of the earliest performances occurred in the 1870s and was sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, an a capella group from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Odetta famously performed a variation of the song at Carnegie Hall. It is one of those that’s passed through the hands of generations. Thousands of versions and recordings scatter the United States; Moby can now say that one of those versions is his.

Moby does what one would expect and makes the song his own. Without any trace of the dust of centuries, Moby’s version adds both lyrics and musical elements to a timeless standard. Rodriguez’s whispering echo of a voice breaks up Moby’s verses of lyrics that have to be his own. The song describes the pain of familial separation, as was often experienced by slaves during the era in which this song was written.

Moby’s new album will be released on March second, via Mute. Moby returns to his orchestral roots, pining for should and gospel as he tries to evoke the brokenness of humanity. Moby created a playlist as a fun supplement to his album release. Its theme will be to showcase the artists and sounds that influenced Moby’s recording and writing process. The playlist will be the go-to space for fans to hear Moby’s new music as its released. Watch it below.

Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt Tracklist
1. Mere Anarchy
2. The Waste of Suns
3. Like a Motherless Child
4. The Last of Goodbyes
5. The Ceremony of Innocence
6. The Tired and The Hurt
7. Welcome to Hard Times
8. The Sorrow Tree
9. Falling Rain and Light
10. The Middle is Gone
11. This Wild Darkness
12. A Dark Cloud is Coming

Photography Credit: Pamela Lin