Brothers Osborne are scruffy country rockers with deep voices and rocking guitars. They are more likely to remind you of somebody like, say, Waylon Jennings than the Dixie Chicks. However, the brothers did not let that fact stop them from covering the Dixie Chicks’ classic song “Goodbye Earl” at a recent Kansas City concert.
This is perhaps an unexpected choice for a cover song, considering the subject matter of “Goodbye Earl.” It tells the tales of two female friends who join together to murder the abusive husband of one of the two women, the titular Earl. Dennis Franz played Earl in the music video, so you know he’s a real creep. It’s reminiscent of Franz’s performance in Homer S.: Portrait of an Ass Grabber. Although the song was originally recorded by an all-male band called Sons of the Desert, thanks to the Dixie Chicks making it popular, it is thought of as something of a female empowerment song, albeit it dark, morbid one.
As such, it may not have the same feel or resonance coming from Brothers Osborne, that doesn’t mean they can’t pull out a rollicking cover of “Goodbye Earl.” It does not reek of professionalism that would lead one to believe they had been really working on the cover, but everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves. They also covered Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River.” That one’s a bit more on the nose.
(Via Rolling Stone)
