Although the best-known version of ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ is by Jimmy Cliff, its appearance on Rusty Reid’s tribute to the songwriters of Texas, Lone Stardust, reminds us that the original was written by a man from Houston, that great state’s great singer-songwriter Johnny Nash.
In keeping with an album focused on celebrating the iconic artists of that part of the world, Reid stays fairly faithful to the original, even down to the slight reggae vibe running through it, which Nash had picked up from recently working with Bob Marley and the Wailers.
And so we head down territory which is both familiar yet fresh. Familiar through the way Reid doesn’t stray too far from the original path, even down to the buoyant brass that always helped drive the song from its soulful and gentle opening to its eventual anthemic sonic heights. Fresh, not least because of the modern production but also because of the new indie-folk spin that now runs through the song and of course his excellent vocal delivery.
Any pop song this fantastic gets to live on well beyond its original potential lifespan, and ‘I Can See Clearly’ has been covered by the great and good of the music world. Rusty Reid is not only following in a rich tradition, he also understands that all he needs to do is shine a spotlight on the original artist and merely celebrate the song. (Not something ever artist approaching such iconic songs bears in mind.) As such, his ability not to play with perfection (give me a pop song from the seventies that is better than this one) and to deviate too far from the sound we all know and love makes for the perfect tribute.
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