“Mother” – Natalie Maines (with Fred Norris) live on the Howard Stern Show 1-4-2013

Video

Natalie Maines’s beautiful and moving cover of Pink Floyd’s “Mother,” performed live on the Howard Stern Show earlier this month. The stellar studio version is available on the “West of Memphis” soundtrack.

“Not Ready to Make Nice” – The Dixie Chicks

OK, it’s been several years since the controversial remarks about Bush Jr., the recorded response about said remarks, and the Grammies awarded for said recorded response. How does this song hold up once we’ve been removed from the early-mid-2000s? My answer: Brilliantly. Beautifully. Magnificently. This song is a classic and another example of producer Rick Rubin’s genius of being able to capture the true essence of whatever artist he works with (from Run DMC to L.L. Cool J to the Beastie Boys to the Cult to Danzig to Slayer to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Johnny Cash to Neil Diamond) and helping them sound like the artist they believe they are in their hearts and minds. The middle break where Natalie sings about threats and “Shut up and sing or your life will be over” still puts chills up my spine.