While we wait for Jessica Lea Mayfield’s new record, this week brings a fine stopover: Alabama hit “I’m In A Hurry” (And Don’t Know Why),” pared down into a haunting solo lament. To say Mayfield deconstructed the ’92 pop-country staple would be an understatement: gone are the lively harmonies, radio-ready breaks and endless choruses, leaving only a spare electric guitar and vocal in its wake. If the original was a closing time sing-a-long, this would be the morning after — a predawn afterthought while a pot of coffee brews to wake up for work. Check it out above.
Mayfield’s rendition arrives along with covers from Jason Isbell, Blind Boys of Alabama, and others on High Cotton: A Tribute to Alabama, due September 17 via Lightning Rod Records.