Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires Share New Duet, ‘The Color of a Cloudy Day’ [LISTEN]
Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires' duet "The Color of a Cloudy Day" has finally been given a proper release. Fans first heard the track during the closing credits of the British documentary The Fear of 13 in 2015, but the couple has now released the song as part of Amazon's Amazon Acoustics playlist.
“I remember it beginning in the living room,” Shires tells the Wall Street Journal of "The Color of a Cloudy Day." “Jason was playing the guitar, like he always does there. Then, he moved to the kitchen with the bones of it and a start at the melody. I was washing dishes, and he started talking to me about the character and the situation of the song. I came at it thinking about what I hoped the character would say to me in a letter if I were in that situation.”
With acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies, Isbell and Shires tell a story from the perspective of someone who is forced to be away from the one he loves. It's a situation that the couple, who are both in the music business, have had to deal with often.
“The protagonist isn’t perfect but doesn’t deserve to be isolated, and feels he’s being treated like a caged animal,” Isbell explains. “I think all couples deal with these feelings on some level at certain points in a relationship, but Amanda and I spend a lot of time apart because of our work, so we can certainly relate.”
Readers can listen to "The Color of a Cloudy Day" below; the track is available for download via Amazon. Isbell and Shires will both be making appearances at the 2016 Americana Music Festival later in September: Isbell will perform at the Americana Music Awards and is nominated for multiple honors, while Shires will play one of the event's many showcases.
Listen to Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, "The Color of a Cloudy Day":