After releasing the powerfully compelling debut full-length album Indigo in 2018 on U.S. indie boutique label Blue Elan, the duo known professionally as Roan Yellowthorn is currently using their self-isolating time well, finishing up writing and recording a new album of all-original material.
Comprised of the dynamic husband and wife pairing of Jackie McLean and Shawn Strack, Roan Yellowthorn wanted to keep the positive momentum and groundswell of popular acclaim they accrued with Indigo but releasing an album of unique reimagining of some well known cover songs.
Rediscovered was released in February, and features 11 lush, emotive versions of songs, originally recorded by artists ranging from Elton John, to Hank Williams, to Alanis – and more.
The idea for Rediscovered began modestly as a way to bridge the gap between Roan Yellowthorn studio albums but ended up becoming a real passion project for McLean.
“It definitely became more than what we initially hoped it would be, especially on a personal level for me, because it was the first time that I had a chance to work on cover songs. I have recorded cover songs by myself at home to a karaoke track or whatever, but this was the first time I had the freedom and the resources and the time to just really turn the songs into something new, and really explore what that could be,” she explained
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“It ended up being a very satisfying creative process and I think it also became a real opportunity for me to rediscover the joy of making music and singing and arranging songs. This was just a project that didn’t have a deadline or any sort of real restrictions in terms of what songs we could choose or how we could do them. It was a real gift to just be able to explore and a lot of joy came out of that process.”
In terms of deciding what songs to cover, Blue Elan Records head Kirk Pasich and McLean just batted some ideas back and forth throughout the process.
“We have really similar tastes in music, so there were a lot of songs that I was so excited to try and sing and recreate. And every time I had an idea, he usually would really like that idea and sometimes he would suggest a song that we should try. He definitely threw in a lot of ideas, but it was pretty easy to select the ones we would actually do, because it was the ones that we were most excited about,” McLean said.
“We Just Disagree [originally recorded by Dave Mason in the mid-1970s] was one that Kirk thought of, and I had never heard that one before, but it really worked. Every other song was a song that I felt an emotional connection to on some level and felt a deep love for. I think I tried to choose songs that I thought were good for my voice and interesting in terms of melody. I also think I am drawn to songs that are sad or can be interpreted in a sad way. Lyrically, I was drawn to music that had that melancholy thread in it.”
One of these was the compelling late 1960s Bee Gees hit, I Started A Joke, featuring the almost painfully plaintive lead vocals of the late Robin Gibb. It was one of many songs on Rediscovered that came from the 1960s and 1970s – perhaps unique choices for someone who was a kid in the 1990s.
“I grew up in an unusual way. I was very sheltered growing up from contemporary media. I wasn’t really exposed to contemporary music or TV or movies. I really grew up watching and listening to old things. I grew up listening to music from the 1920s to the 1970s and also watched movies from that time, as well as TV shows and cartoons. It was a much different set of influences than the time I actually grew up in,” she explained.
“With I Started A Joke, my brother and I listened to a Best of Bee Gees album all the time, and to me that was almost like a modern album compared to a lot of the other music we would listen to growing up. It felt almost contemporary, like something that I discovered as a kid. I would listen to it over and over again, and my brother and I both loved it, and we used to have singing contests between the two of us to see who was the best at singing that song, or I’ve Got to Get A Message to You, or Holiday, or one of the others. So, I have vivid memories of that album and I have a very emotional connection to a lot of those songs. We chose I Started A Joke specifically because there is just something about it that hit me in a special way, and I wanted to pay homage to that.”
It turns out that McLean is also a huge fan of a contemporary group of the Bee Gees, the Beach Boys, so it was little wonder that a composition by their resident genius songwriter Brian Wilson made the cut for Rediscovered – God Only Knows.
“The Beach Boys are one of my all time favourite bands and I have been obsessed with Brian Wilson for most of my life. I really love the album where he reinterprets Gershwin, it’s so cool. Everything the Beach Boys did I love. And I wanted to have something to represent the Beach Boys on the album because they are so important in my own love of music,” she said.
“I picked that song because, again, there is a sadness to it. It’s so beautiful, and I really love layering harmonies and I really love how harmonies sound and of course the Beach Boys are known for doing these amazing harmonies on all their songs. But God Only Knows, specifically, there are a lot of incredible harmonies, and I love the sound that they got on the original version, and I wanted to try and play with those.”
Once a huge star throughout the late 1950s and into the 1970s, American hitmaker Connie Francis seems all but forgotten within the mainstream music scene, to all but her most devoted fans. One of them happens to be McLean, and she did an incredibly emotive version of one of Francis’ biggest hits, Who’s Sorry Now.
“You don’t hear much about her. You don’t really hear about people covering her music or talking about her music. But I love her music and that was another album that I had growing up that my brother and I would sing to all the time, songs like Stupid Cupid and Vacation and Who’s Sorry Now, Lipstick On Your Collar – I’ve always loved those songs,” she said.
“Who’s Sorry Now is one of those songs that is easily able to be reinterpreted because the lyrics are so beautiful, and the sentiment is so timeless, and the melody is so gorgeous. It almost lends itself to being rediscovered because there is something so timeless and pure and beautiful about it.”
A bit of a wild card in the mix is a song that actually was contemporary when McLean was growing up, Your House, which was a darkly sweet hidden track on Alanis Morissette’s 1995 breakout album, Jagged Little Pill, co-written with Glen Ballard.
“In general, I didn’t actually try to choose just older songs, it was just songs that I love and a lot of them happened to be older. But with this song, I love Alanis Morissette and I think this one felt special because it’s not as well known. I knew about her music, but then in college someone played me that hidden track and the way she does it completely a Capella with a lot of echo – I just thought it was so cool to feel like there was a secret track that people didn’t really hear as often as the other hits that she is really famous for from the album. I really wanted to do it and do it my own way because it was sort of hidden and because it’s so beautiful, and emotional and spare,” she said, adding that the song that changed the most from the original to her interpretation was the Elton John ballad Sacrifice, the first track on Rediscovered.
“The original has a really specific kind of instrumentation and sound. It’s slower and more ballad-y. We redid it as more of a rock song, and it has this higher level of energy. I started intently listening to the original trying to really look into the lyrics to find out how I could interpret it. Lyrically, I really wanted to understand what the song was saying so I could be really emotive about it in my own way. When I read the lyrics, I realized that I didn’t really understand what the song was about, because it can be interpreted a lot of different ways.
“Originally I thought the song was about somebody avoiding temptation within their relationship. But then when you read the lyrics you see that it might be about someone actually giving in to temptation. It might be about a relationship falling apart. So I reinterpreted it to mean that it’s about somebody who stays in a relationship, but who is also saying that its no sacrifice for them to stay, and they are being kind of sarcastic about it, because it kind of still is a sacrifice to stay. We brought that energy, almost like pent up frustration and resentment, sarcasm, but also joy and commitment to a cause. All of those strong feelings wove together to push the song into this higher energy level. I really tried to bring out that complexity and angst because that’s what really spoke to me about the track.”
Fortunately, because much of the next few months have been set aside for working on the new album of original music, McLean and Strack haven’t been impacted as much by the Covid-19 lockdown as many other artists and bands, although they remain in self-isolation and are practicing the appropriate social distancing and cleansing protocol.
“We were supposed to be at SXSW [South by Southwest] for the first time, which I was really excited about. So that’s a bummer that it got cancelled. The other summer festivals we are planning to do could also be canceled. We live in the northern part of New York state, so for me personally I am not noticing a huge change because I stay home a lot anyways and outside of my window is a good amount of nature. There’s not a lot of people around most of the time. I am asking people who are living in New York City or L.A. and places like that what it’s like for them, and they are really noticing a dramatic difference in their day-to-day lives,” McLean said.
“One thing I am surprised by is how much people are really coming together around the community of artists. I feel there is a lot of camaraderie amongst artists supporting each other and then among venues and places that aren’t able to put on shows any more. I feel there is an effort coming from everybody to come together and keep people feeling stable and heard and safe. That’s been a really unexpected and interesting and encouraging thing that I have noticed in the midst of what else is happening right now.
“We are going to try to do a live stream every day to stay connected and try to keep busy. It’s definitely a time when people are having to innovate and try new ways to do their thing. Making an income is a tricky one because a lot of musicians rely on touring to survive and it’s scary right now. I hope that things go back to normal soon, but the weird thing is nobody really knows when or how.”
For more information on any activities Roan Yellowthorn will be doing online, updated tour dates, on Rediscovered and the forthcoming new album, visit www.roanyellowthorn.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for 30 years. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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