In The Groove Song of the Week: Beck’s ‘Ride Lonesome’ (featuring Sierra Ferrell)
Now, Beck’s “Ride Lonesome” single is even better with the voice of West Virginia songwriter Sierra Ferrell.
I love when Beck puts on a cowboy hat and tells a twanged-out story of heartbreak. He does this perfectly on “Ride Lonesome,” which dropped back in April as a stand-alone single. No word of an album to follow, but at least a U.S. tour to go with it.
Now, that “Ride Lonesome” single is even better with the voice of West Virginia songwriter Sierra Ferrell dueting with him. Ferrell is a star of the Americana roots scene and Beck knows his way around that musical world.
This “Ride Lonesome” track with its longingly sad steel pedal guitar and massive, echo-y vocals will remind Beck fans of his excellent “Sea Change” album from 2002, where he stripped it all down and proved he could write a ballad. He did it again in 2014 with spiritual follow-up “Morning Phase,” which won album of the year at the Grammys upon its release.
The biggest strength here, however, is Beck’s willingness to collaborate with Ferrell, who is undoubtedly the star of the track. Without her voice wrapping itself around Beck’s songwriting, it would be an unremarkable affair, which is exactly how I felt about it when it was first released back in April. Dropped last month, this update with Ferrell is oh so welcome and adds an entirely new layer to the work. It’s more lush. It’s grander. It’s still sad, but with a bit of romance now.
It reminds me of when John Prine collaborated with the Cowboy Junkies for “If You Were The Woman and I Was The Man,” or the countless other examples of great country-roasted duets from throughout the decades (Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn; Johnny Cash and June Carter; Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; you name it).
Who knows if this will lead to more collabs from Beck or even a new album. In the meantime, I’ll keep this one on repeat.
