As every new single dropped, I got a little more excited about Everybody Knows I’m Here. Albums of cover versions are a dime a dozen. Usually they’re designed simply to sell. Gather up some popular artists, get them to record some popular songs, and you’ve got a recipe for success. Now that it’s finally dropped I can confidently say, this album doesn’t play it so safe. It’s so much better for it.
Of course, the music from Chess Records is enduringly popular. Songs like “Johnny B. Goode”, “Mannish Boy”, and “Susie Q” are pop culture staples. But the versions on this album aren’t karaoke covers. Each one is thoughtful and considered. The diverse artists featured use these songs from the great American songbook as a platform to say something about their own experiences. They’re First Nations people, immigrants, gender-diverse acts, people who know what it’s like to walk outside privilege. I’d wager their names aren’t familiar to many Australians, but their insightful interpretations and new rap sections breathe new life into these songs.
If you don’t know your history, Chess Records was established in Chicago in 1950. For two and a half decades it gave black American artists a voice. It launched as a blues label but the stable grew to celebrate soul, gospel, jazz, and early rock and roll. Today this album celebrates its legacy and gives our marginalised artists their chance to speak up. These songs were recorded in a different time and place, but listening to these songs you understand a lot hasn’t changed. Themes of struggle, independence, identity, pride, and love still resonate.
Everybody Knows I’m Here is an exciting and important piece of work. It pays loving tribute to the legacy of Chess Records and reinterprets the music to make powerful statements about life for Australian black, Indigenous, and people of colour today. Make sure you take a listen.
Images used with permission from Chester Records
