Back in July, West Coast Americana figure Chuck Prophet announced a new LP called Wake the Dead that served as both a reckoning with death in the wake of an advanced lymphoma diagnosis (and recovery period) as well as a full-length collaboration with the cumbia outfit ¿Qiensave?. Across these 11 tracks, Prophet adventurously explores new lyrical concepts (including calling out Elon for, you know, all that stuff he does) nearly as much as he does “cousin” Latin-American genre territories including samba, bossa novas, and boleros.
The latest cut from the LP, “Red Sky Night,” is no exception, with a few key songwriting collaborators being added to the mix on the soft Western-esque ballad, along with some standout vocal harmonies and lap steel. “I co-wrote this one with Aaron Lee Tasjan and Kim Richey in the common language of transcendence,” Prophet shares. “For me, the stars of the show on this track are ¿Qiensave?. Brothers always sound so great singing together, and there are at least three of them singing at the same time here. Also, the Santo & Johnny lap steel drenched in reverb is another character in the song, played wonderfully here by James DePrato. My buddy Elizabeth told me she hears some Van Morrison in it, and that’s beautiful too, if it’s true.”
Check out an in-studio visual for the track below, and pre-order Wake the Dead ahead of its October 25 release via Yep Roc here.
