One of Australia’s most beloved artists has shared a tribute to one of the country’s most revered songwriters, with Courtney Barnett offering her version of Kev Carmody’s “Just For You” for an upcoming compilation.
The cover comes as part of a new edition of Cannot Buy My Soul which was announced last month, and serves as a reissue of the 2007 tribute album of the same name with additional songs.
Barnett’s cover is one of six new additions to the record, which also features new tributes from Jimmy Barnes, Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke, Alice Skye, and Electric Fields, alongside the original round of covers from The Drones, John Butler, Dan Sultan, and much more.
“‘Just For You,’ it’s virtually a love song that I’ve directed at everybody, for everybody,” Carmody explained of the song. “It’s trying to get right to the core to say even though we have our disagreements and stuff, I still love you all very much, and I love you as an individual very much.
“Courtney’s presentation is so beautifully endearing and lifts my original to another plain. Her woman’s presentation puts a whole new perspective on the original lyrics.”
“A real honour to be part of this project and to celebrate Kev’s beautiful songwriting,” Barnett explained of her inclusion on the album. “I think ‘Just For You’ is one of the most perfect love songs ever written.”
The cover also comes alongside a minimal performance video which was shot in one take, and sees Barnett alongside her dog Rosa.
“Uncle Kev says that these are simple lyrics trying to get right to the core, that it’s a love song directed at everybody,” explains video director and album producer Sian Darling. “For him, the message is, ‘Even though we have our disagreements, I still love you all very much. And I love you as an individual very much.’
“I want the video to illustrate the power from the simplicity of Uncle Kev’s lyrics and intentions, and the exceptional tenderness in Courtney’s expression of them.”
Cannot Buy My Soul: 2020 Edition is set to be released on August 21st via EMI Recorded Music.
