Canadian soul singer Elise LeGrow pays tribute to the classic Chicago label Chess Records on her new album Playing Chess, which was produced by Steve Greenberg, Mike Mangini, and the legendary Betty Wright. Unlike many covers records, LeGrow and her team of musicians aimed to make new artistic statements with these songs as they stripped down the arrangements to feature leaner and modern interpretations. The clean and unfussy sound allows LeGrow’s superb voice to have more room to roam. Meanwhile, these classic tunes take on new life when shown through LeGrow’s lens.
LeGrow says, “our reinterpretation of ‘Rescue Me’ is sparse and mellow, which really brings out the wistfulness in the lyric. But it manages to be a bit cheeky and sexy too. I think the same can be said of the video. The director, Dan LeMoyne, had a clear vision from the start and it was really cool watching it come to life. It was a long shoot – 14 hours – but it was truly a pleasure working with him and his all-star Toronto crew.”