It’s easy to greet covers albums with skepticism. Is this a cynical cash grab? A contractual obligation? Does the world need yet another cover of “Drift Away”? Jesper Lindell and his band, the Brunnsvik Sounds, have just released 3614 Jackson Highway, and it’s the best kind of covers album. Named for the address of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, this record makes for a great casual listen on its own. It’s also likely to inspire some serious musical exploration after you’ve spun it a few times.
Lindell is a Swedish singer-songwriter who has released three Americana-inspired albums, along with a few EPs and singles, since 2017. His music draws on folk and indie rock influences. American soul music looms large in Lindell’s work as well, with his voice easily conjuring comparisons to Otis Redding and Solomon Burke, among others.
It was only natural then that in the spring of 2024, Lindell brought his band to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, a landmark studio responsible for some of the most deeply felt music ever recorded. Muscle Shoals was founded in 1969 by members of the Muscle Shoals rhythm section, also known as the Swampers. These musicians had already made music history playing with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James and other R&B greats at Rick Hall’s FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals. Franklin’s breakthrough hit, “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)”, is an early example of the sound these guys created together.
Beginning with a 1969 Cher album (also called 3614 Jackson Avenue), the Swampers at Muscle Shoals recorded everything from Boz Scaggs’ self-titled album to the Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses” and hit songs and albums by Paul Simon, the Staple Singers, Bob Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Bob Dylan. Jesper Lindell planned to record two full days at Muscle Shoals, followed by two days at Royal Studio in Memphis, to record material for two albums. The repertoire would consist of songs originally recorded at or associated with one of the two studios.
Snarled travel plans cut a half-day off Lindell and his bandmates’ time at Muscle Shoals, but they powered through eight songs before moving on to Memphis. The new album includes all those songs, along with one from the Royal Studio session. A second record featuring the remaining songs recorded at Royal will emerge later this year.
Some of these songs will be familiar to many listeners. “Respect Yourself” and “Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)” were both hit singles by the Staple Singers, and Mavis Staples has been singing both at her recent shows. “Rainy Night in Georgia” is Brook Benton’s crowning achievement, and Dobie Grey’s and Uncle Kracker’s covers of “Drift Away” (originally recorded by British actor and singer Mike Berry in 1972) are both ubiquitous.
Lindell’s covers of all those warhorse songs are fine, thanks to his sincere vocals and his locked-in band. None of these renditions is going to make you forget Brook Benton, Dobie Grey, and the Staple Singers, but he clearly wouldn’t want listeners to forget music that he loves and respects so much. (I might suggest a 20-year moratorium on “Drift Away” covers for now, though.)
Where Lindell and his bandmates truly succeed is in highlighting the five lesser-known songs on 3614 Jackson Highway. “Pretend I Never Happened” is a fantastic Willie Nelson tune from Phases and Stages, recorded at Muscle Shoals in 1973. Low-key legendary singer/songwriter Dan Penn emerges as the hero of the album with “If Love Was Money”, “She Ain’t Gonna Do Right”, and “Rainbow Road”. In addition to “Rainy Night in Georgia”, Tony Joe White is represented by the sweet mid-tempo “I’ve Got a Thing About You Baby.”
Lindell and company are faithful to the spirit of the original versions of these songs, but they bring their own energy as well, ensuring that 3614 Jackson Highway doesn’t sound like a sterile tribute. These musicians clearly love these songs, and they want their listeners to love them as well.
This record exists beautifully on its own merits, but it is an excellent gateway as well: seeking out originals and other renditions of these songs, and diving into the Dan Penn and Tony Joe White catalogues will make for some deeply soulful playlists. Jesper Lindell and the Brunnsvik Sounds would surely approve.