Jim James has recently shared his rendition of Steve Miller Band’s “Seasons” for Secretly Canadian’s 25th anniversary celebration. Alongside James, Madison McFerrin also released her cover of “Over The Ocean” by Here We Go Magic.
Both James’ and McFerrin’s renditions of the iconic tracks were installments created for the SC25 Singles, which is a collection of 25 singles and collaborations made to honor Secretly Canadian’s label quarter-century milestone. The reissued series of classic albums will honor some of the most popular and influential songs over the years.
“Over The Ocean” was an incredibly major track that was produced by the label. Because of that, having the song be recreated as a part of the SC25 Series was incredibly important to Secretly Canadian’s co-founder Chris Swanson.
In a press release, James discussed the importance of his rendition ban stating, “Chris Swanson and I started out in the music world around the same time and I have always appreciated his friendship and support. It’s been amazing to watch all of the wonderful music Secretly has helped bring into this world…so when he asked me to cover one of his favorite songs from childhood in honor of Secretly’s big 25th I was excited to do so, and even more excited once I got to know and love the song, which I had never heard before…but is now one of my all time faves too.”
James’ cover of Steve Miller Band’s “Seasons” is beautifully orchestrated in a way that perfectly honors the original. James kept his rendition incredibly similar to the original while adding his own touch by emphasizing his unique vocal tone.
James was also recently featured on Moby’s newest album Reprise as an extra on one of the tracks. His name was listed alongside Alice Skye, Amythyst Kiah, Apollo Jane, Darlingside and more. The album was released at the end of May and was created with the intent to re-visit his previous work from over the years. Just before that, James also appeared on John Prine’s recent live album John Prine and Friends, which was recorded at Newport Folk Festival in 2017.