Some songs tend to transcend generations and keep their power. Rusty Reid covers one of those longtime favorites with “I Can See Clearly Now,” adding his own voice and guitar skills to a tune that has been cemented in pop music history.
The song is from Reid’s release Lone Stardust (Masterworks of Texas composers), a selection of 19 songs by outstanding composers with ties to the Lone Star State. In this release, Reid takes on the 1972 classic made famous by Johnny Nash. The song is especially relevant within the larger context of the album given Reid’s Houston connection.
Rather than trying to reinvent such a famous piece from scratch, Reid tackles the track with a respect for what made the original exceptional. His version is an attempt to keep that familiar charm alive while letting his own musical individuality surface in his vocals and guitar playing.
That is what makes the release fascinating. There's a unique concern in covering a song so familiar to listeners, modify it too much, and you risk losing its essence, change it too little, and the cover risks being redundant. Reid’s approach is kind of in the middle of those two alternatives, honoring the source material while making it personal.