(November 15, 2018) There isn't a music fan alive who doesn't know the name and music of the legendary Bill Withers. But most fans have not heard the music of his daughter Kori Withers, and that may be about to change. The talented songstress takes her legacy head on with her new single, an interpretation of her father's classic number, "Ain't No Sunshine."
"Ain't No Sunshine" is the first single from Kori's upcoming album, Melting. The collection was, fittingly, recorded in New York City, where Kori received her degree in English from Columbia University and Master of Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. As Kori says, “I always fantasized about going to New York to find my voice.” The disc was produced by Grammy-winner Scott Jacoby at his Eusonia Studios in Manhattan.
(November 15, 2018) There isn't a music fan alive who doesn't know the name and music of the legendary Bill Withers. But most fans have not heard the music of his daughter Kori Withers, and that may be about to change. The talented songstress takes her legacy head on with her new single, an interpretation of her father's classic number, "Ain't No Sunshine."
"Ain't No Sunshine" is the first single from Kori's upcoming album, Melting. The collection was, fittingly, recorded in New York City, where Kori received her degree in English from Columbia University and Master of Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. As Kori says, “I always fantasized about going to New York to find my voice.” The disc was produced by Grammy-winner Scott Jacoby at his Eusonia Studios in Manhattan.
The original version of "Ain't No Sunshine" was notable for its warmth, with an acoustic opening that led into lush strings. But Kori takes an approach that is as different as it is appropriate. The arrangement is decidedly cooler and more distant, with moments of icy programming behind her soft but attractive voice. This aura accentuates the sad chill of the song's lyrics "Ain't no sunshine when he's gone / It's not warm when he's away / Ain't no sunshine when he's gone, and he's always gone too long / anytime he goes away." Ironically, more than four decades after the original version, Mr. Withers' daughter has captured the true pathos of this song of sadness in its own beautiful way.
We're proud to present the World Premiere of "Ain't No Sunshine." Check it out, and welcome Kori Withers to SoulTracks!
By Chris Rizik
World Premiere!
Kori Withers - "Ain't No Sunshine"