Hear Raul Malo and Newcomer Whitney Rose Cover the Ronettes
The Mavericks' lead singer Raul Malo has joined forces with up-and-coming country artist Whitney Rose to breathe new life into the Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby."
Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector penned the tune, and Spector originally produced it for the Ronettes. Malo and Rose join a list of some of history's biggest acts who have also covered the classic -- including John Lennon, the Beach Boys and others -- but the two bring a darker edge to the poppy tune.
"Singing with Raul on "Be My Baby" was daunting, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have doubts about the duet," Rose tells Rolling Stone Country. "But I'm really proud of how it turned out. It can be tough to cover songs effectively — especially songs as celebrated as "Be My Baby" — and I think we accomplished that."
Malo and Rose's version of the track appears on Rose's Malo-produced LP, Heartbreaker of the Year, which was released in the Canadian's home country earlier this year and is set for release in the U.S. on Aug. 21.
"I love this record," Malo says of the release. "I'm honored to have played a part in making it. The songs are so strong no one could ruin them ... not even me."
Rose describes the album as "a little weird ... a little quirky ... but so am I," but she says that Malo's classic country influences had a big impact on the album's sounds, especially after touring together.
"I would have to be either lazy or stupid to not take advantage of getting to work alongside these guys, and I am neither of those things," she says. "I initially thought that Raul's mentorship would cap at touring, but during a western Canadian jaunt last spring, I had written enough new material for a record, so I asked him to produce it — with very little expectation. When he said yes, I was so excited but also really relieved because I felt I still had so much to learn from him."
Heartbreaker of the Year follows Rose's 2012, self-titled debut, which is available on iTunes.
Listen to Raul Malo and Whitney Rose, "Be My Baby":