Love Canon, ‘Islands in the Stream’ [Exclusive Premiere]
Bluegrass five-piece Love Canon are premiering their cover of the iconic Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton duet "Islands in the Stream" exclusively with The Boot. Readers can press play below to listen.
Stripped of its slick '70s country production and replaced with upbeat horns and killer harmonies, "Islands in the Stream" is a perfect laid-back love ballad when performed by Love Canon. The band's friend Lauren Balthrop evokes Parton in the high harmonies, and Bobby Read and John D'Earth provide a little bit of funk on the saxophone and trumpet, respectively. The band decided to record their own version of the hit after what they describe as a "mild obsession" with the Bee Gees.
"Listening through [the Bee Gees'] greatest hits, we were surprised to find out that "Islands in the Stream" was actually written by the [Gibb] brothers," says band member Jesse Harper. "I've always loved the song, and [bandmate] Jay Starling has a special connection to Dolly because his dad worked on Trio [in] 1987 with Dolly, Emmylou [Harris] and Linda Ronstadt."
Based in Charlottesville, Va., Love Canon are Harper on guitar, Adam Larrabee on banjo, mandolinist Andy Thacker, bassist Darrell Muller and Starling on the resonator. Their cover of "Islands in the Stream" appears on the band's forthcoming album, Cover Story, a collection of covers of classic tunes, including hits by Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Peter Gabriel.
Cover Story is set for release on July 13. Fans can visit LoveCanonMusic.com to learn more.
Listen to Love Canon's "Islands in the Stream"