After just seeing a temperature of -4 this morning, I needed something to warm my soul. Then I got an email from Jack White's Third Man Records. It is a new song by the very talented Michael Kiwanuka. The song, "You've Got Nothing To Lose," was produced by Jack White himself and also features The Buzzards' Dominic Davis on upright bass and Cory Younts on piano, joined also by fellow balladeer Lillie Mae Rische on fiddle. The track is part of White's TMR Blues Series and the release also includes a rendition Townes Van Zandt's infamous 'Waitin' 'Round to Die' on the B-side.
"I'm a big fan of Jack White. I used to hear his guitar riffs in secondary school growing up as a teenager. He inspired loads of us to start bands and pick up a guitar which I did. He's an artist that still inspires me today, so it was such a pleasure getting to work with him, and put out this single on Third Man Records." -Kiwanuka
The song can definitely take off some of that winter chill. Kiwanuka also released a video for the song "You've Got Nothing to Lose." You can get the track via iTunesor order the vinyl via Third Man Records' online store.
Coinciding with the single's release is the visually striking and truly compelling video for "You've Got Nothing To Lose." Directed by Nashville-based critic and director/curator for Third Man Records' Light & Sound Machine film series James Cathcart, the video is a powerful reflection on acceptance and misconception; the story unfolds as a woman gets ready to attend her young son's birthday party. Cathcart explains his concept for the video: "Michael's song has this air about it - of a father figure imparting wisdom. So I looked for an unexpected context to apply that to. It's about misleading perceptions - not just in terms of the character's gender, but also from what we expect of the people she encounters. Acceptance comes from a camo-clad country boy, while it's the presumably enlightened young person that harasses her on the bus... we were able to strike just the right tone: sweetness tainted by melancholy...or perhaps it's the other way around? We've all had bittersweet birthdays."
