Singer/songwriter Waxahatchee has been touring in promotion of her newest album Tigers Blood, and she recently stopped by for a set at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last Wednesday. After the singer, whose real name is Katie Crutchfield, and her band finished their set, the legendary Ryman stage welcomed two tremendous guests for an encore: country legends Wynonna Judd and Lucinda Williams.
The encore portion of the show began with Judd’s entrance. Judd and Waxahatchee proceeded to deliver an incredible rendition of “Love Is Alive”. Judd and Crutchfield had collaborated in the past with the 2022 single “Other Side”.
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Wynonna and her late mother Naomi Judd recorded the song “Love Is Alive” back in the 1980s. They did so under their mother-daughter duo band The Judds.
[Catch Wynonna Judd Live in 2024]
Waxahatchee and Judd both often cover Lucinda Williams songs as part of their sets. One such version is “Fruits Of My Labor”. The song was recorded and released on the deluxe edition of Saint Cloud, Waxahatchee’s 2020 album.
Waxahatchee performed a live cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Abandoned” from her 1988 self-titled album during her Ryman set. And Williams herself came on stage to accompany Waxahatchee and her band during the fantastic rendition of her hit song.
“As a musician, a woman from Alabama, a lover of poetry and literature, a believer in the dark, effervescent magic of the deep South, Lucinda Williams’s songs mean everything to me,” Crutchfield told Interview Magazine a few years ago.
Crutchfield also included guitarist/singer MJ Lenderman on the star-studded guest list. He performed with her earlier in her Ryman set. Lenderman had a significant role in the creation of Tigers Blood. During the set-closing rendition of the title tune “Tigers Blood”, Waxahatchee was joined by members of the opening band Good Morning as well.
In addition to joining other artists on stage, Judd has been pretty busy lately. She will be performing the National Anthem today at the Kentucky Derby.
Photo courtesy of ANTI- Records’ official YouTube channel
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