David Nail has proven broad sonic horizons in the past, but today’s release, an EP called ‘Uncovered,’ finds the artist exploring new territory.
“’In The Ghetto’ is the song that kind of began the conversation of starting this project,” Nail shares in a release. “It was the first cover song that I really tried to make my own. I have never liked listening to myself sing, but I’ve enjoyed this one. It gives me chills.” The song is perfect for Nail’s vocal, which soars mellifluously from the first notes, and is paired with a piano. It’s stripped from the original Elvis Presley imagining, and does exactly what a cover should – pay homage to the original while finding a new expression for the song.
The EP as a whole excels at such reimagining. Through “Can’t Feel My Face,” a cover of R&B crooner The Weeknd; Phil Collins classic “In The Air Tonight;” and “Send My Love (To Your New Lover), the latest single from Adele (“the finest vocalist I’ve ever heard”); Nail pairs a stripped aesthetic with lyric-centered expression and his signature stellar voice.
The standout moment on the EP, however, may be in Nail’s re-creation of his own song. “Looking For A Good Time,” which closes the EP, originally appeared on Nail’s 2009 debut I’m About To Come Alive, is breathtaking. In its original iteration, the song has a rock-leaning kick, but on Uncovered Nail gives it only a sparse piano, organ. There’s more space to his vocal, which allows it to be fully transcendental, and highlights the power of the lyric as well.
“A member of my team found this song for the first record, and it’s been one of my favorites I’ve ever recorded,” says Nail. “When we opened for Lady Antebellum on their first headlining tour, we started a show with a version very similar to this one. It’s a fantastic lyric, and I believe the broken down/slower version really puts you inside the story.”
The EP accompanied the announcement that Nail’s fourth LP, Fighter, will release July 15.