Acclaimed Irish folk crooner Glen Hansard is set to release a four-song EP come December. Click through for an early taste of the title-track, a pitch-perfect cover of Springsteen classic “Drive All Night”.
That’s plenty of reason to get excited if you ask us. Hansard has been active since the 90s, when his first band, The Frames, took the Irish music scene by storm. Since then he’s shown up on stage with Pearl Jam, voiced an Irish busker on The Simpsons, and rubbed shoulders with legendary Irish singer and hat-enthusiast Bono. So that’s Hansard, but there’s talk of collaborators. Who? Well, you may have noticed that we mentioned Pearl Jam earlier…
Yep, we’re talking about Eddie Vedder. The Pearl Jam frontman has forsaken his ukelele to contribute vocals on Hansard’s cover, and he’s not the only one. Veteran singer, songwriter, and producer Joe Henry has also signed on. Last, but certainly not least, Jake Clemons, nephew of Clarence Clemons, the late saxophonist of Springsteen’s back-up group, the E-Street Band.
Check out the cover below. And yes, there’s a saxophone.