Digging For Covers: Redbird makes me like REM

I've never particularly liked REM. Of course I respect them as an extremely talented group of musicians, but I've never once thought, "Hey, let's put on some REM!" Nope. But Redbird—a collective of American folk songwriters comprised of Jeffrey Foucault, Peter Mulvey and Kris Delmhorst—have made me a huge fan of one particular song: "You Are The Everything."

Redbird covered a variety of artists on their 2005 debut (everyone from Willie Nelson to Benny Goodman), but it's this incredibly affective REM tune that puts the tightest grip on the listener. Michael Stipe's lyrics are superbly crafted here and I like to imagine he'd appreciate this folksy delivery laced with male/female harmonies.

Redbird - "You Are The Everything" (REM cover from Redbird)