Nashville’s Jaime Wyatt has released her cover of The Grateful Dead’s iconic song “Althea” today as a way to connect with her late father and reflect on the innumerable times she attended Grateful Dead’s shows as a child. Wyatt’s “Althea” is soulful, sultry, and evokes Al Green, all while honoring the song’s original groove and sound. Produced and featuring guitar licks by Adrian Quesada of The Black Pumas, Wyatt embraces “Althea” in a more soulful light. Listen to her reimagining of “Althea” below,,,
While growing up, she watched Bob Weir, one of the founding members of The Grateful Dead and a longtime friend of her father, drink wine and jam out together in their living room. “Getting back into The Dead, and finally learning their catalog, began as a way to connect to my late father,” explains Wyatt. Then, after the bond of Wyatt and her manager, Don Strasburg, formed around their mutual love of the band, Wyatt knew she had to cover one of their songs.
“We had great renditions of ‘Loser’ and ‘Friend of the Devil’ on the road, but after much searching, I decided, ‘I’m an Althea Guy,’” Wyatt explains. The Grateful Dead’s “Althea” stood out in particular, because according to Wyatt, “it’s such a sexy and soulful song.”
“I was always taken with the lyrics and it has been quite satisfying and cathartic to sing the lines, ‘Self-centered to the extreme.’ The story feels like turmoil, confusion and conspiracy, a sentiment which is universal to us humans, but if you’ve ever been on drugs or been addicted to a person, you really understand these words.” Wyatt continues.
“Althea” is just one of many cathartic songs off of Wyatt’s forthcoming Adrian Quesada-produced album, Feel Good, out November 3rd via New West Records.
