Howard offers fresh takes on “Stay High” and a Funkadelic cover
Brittany Howard has recorded a new version of her No. 1 AAA radio hit, “Stay High,” for the Spotify Singles program. Produced by Spotify’s William Garrett and recorded with her full band and background vocalists, the track is brimming with warmth and joy. The B-side is Howard’s powerful interpretation of Funkadelic’s “You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks.” The song – which originally appeared on Funkadelic’s classic 1971 album, Maggot Brain – takes on fresh urgency as a call to trust and provide for one another.
Driving more than three billion streams since the program began in 2017, Spotify Singles was created to give artists an opportunity to record new versions of their own songs, and the songs of the artists they love. While the majority of the Singles are recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in NYC, Howard’s was recorded at East West Studios in LA. The Singles scope includes a unique version of each artist’s own song (Side A) and a cover song of their choosing (Side B). To date, there have been over 300 Singles recorded as part of the program.
“Stay High” was the first single from Jaime, Howard’s debut solo album. The track spent three weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs chart and was Public Radio’s Most Popular Song of 2019. Views of the official video, which stars Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris, The Expendables films, Deadpool 2), have surpassed eight million. The New York Times hailed “Stay High” as “blissful” and Pitchfork noted, “her easygoing warmth makes ‘Stay High’ worth repeating.” Refinery29 said, “This feel-good gem will get you through any rough times and slap a smile back on your face.”
Jaime was awarded four stars by Rolling Stone, MOJO and Q and named the Best Album of 2019 by NPR. It is up for the Libera Award for Album of the Year, presented by the American Association of Independent Music, and earned Howard a GLAAD Media Awards nomination for Outstanding Music Artist. The track “History Repeats” received two GRAMMY nominations.
Howard has won four GRAMMY Awards in her role as lead vocalist/guitarist for the chart-topping band Alabama Shakes. She has performed everywhere from the Obama White House to the main stage at Lollapalooza, where she sang with Paul McCartney at his invitation.
