Earlier this year, Nashville-via-Winston-Salem singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle recorded a new album at the famed Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, TN. The album, which follows 2018’s Crushed Coins, won’t be out until early 2020, but Caudle has offered a taste of that session via his cover of Hank Williams’ classic song “Howlin’ At The Moon,” premiering below.
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Caudle was able to record at Cash Cabin thanks to a successful crowd-funding campaign supported by his fans. He recorded “Howlin’ At The Moon,” which Williams originally released in 1951, as a way to thank those fans for their generosity
“The playful lyrics drew me in, and I wanted to put a down-home funky groove on it,” Caudle says of the cover. “We ditched the headphones to play live together, and by the end of the second take, the great Dennis Crouch looked over at me with a smile on his face and said, ‘I’ve never played it like that before!’ His reaction told me we not only captured some kind of magic, but we were able to honor the song while bringing new energy to it.”
Renowned harmonica player Mickey Raphael, known for his work with Willie Nelson, plays on the track, a collaboration Caudle describes as “a dream come true.” Fellow Nashville-based artist Elizabeth Cook joins Caudle on vocals, with Caudle saying, “The addition of her rich, pure vocal really brightens the song.”
“Working with legends, heroes, and friends made the whole session feel loose and easy,” he adds. “It was the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio and I hope that comes across.”
Listen to “Howlin’ At The Moon” below.
