Just the Two of Us (feat. Sxip Shirey)

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DescriptionExcerpt

“We made this song in a very un-socially distanced time, a few years ago," Rhiannon Giddens says of her take on Bill Withers' "Just the Two of Us" featuring Sxip Shirey. "When Bill Withers passed, we suddenly remembered we had made this and thought it would serve as the perfect backdrop to the reality of where we are now—staying inside so that our healthcare workers have the best chance to fight this virus that cares nothing for the artificial divisions we have put up between us." Proceeds go to Global Giving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund.

Description

Rhiannon Giddens has released a new music video and recording of “Just the Two of Us,” her take on the Bill Withers classic. The video, which you can watch below, features photos and videos taken by friends and family in quarantine, and workers in the North Carolina UNC and NY-Presbytarian healthcare systems. The recording features longtime collaborator Sxip Shirey on harmonica and electronics. You can listen to and download the song here; proceeds go to Global Giving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund.

“We made this song in a very un-socially distanced time, a few years ago when our paths crossed in New York. It sat, untouched in our vaults since then. When Bill Withers passed, we suddenly remembered we had made this beautiful version of ‘Just the Two of Us,’ and thought it would serve as the perfect backdrop to the reality of where we are now—staying inside so that our healthcare workers have the best chance to fight this virus that cares nothing for the artificial divisions we have put up between us. So whether it's just the two of us, or just a few of us; whether the lockdown has been for months or it’s about to be lifted; Covid-19 is here for the foreseeable future, and the more we can be alone together now, the better the future will be.”

For more information on the Global Giving Coronavirus Relief Fund and to donate, visit globalgiving.org.

Giddens recently launched Art Is Alive: A COVID-19 Directory of Give and Take. The website collects and lists resources for artists and those willing to help them. It also has links and resources for fostering awareness, togetherness, and hope for the creative freelance communities affected by the pandemic. Art Is Alive lays out donation opportunities, sources of available funding, a full and ever-evolving list of official insights and information, as well as a breakdown of platforms offering at-home performance opportunities. The site aims to connect artists to fans in the current stay-at-home climate.

ns_album_releasedate
Album Status
Artist Name
Rhiannon Giddens
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Rhiannon Giddens, vocals
Sxip Shirey, harmonica and electronics
John Altieri, sousaphone
Attis Clopton, drums
Don Godwin, valve trombone

reissues?
new-release
Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
FLAC
Price
1.39
UPC
075597919493
Label
MP3
Price
1.29
UPC
075597919516

News & Reviews

  • “This week’s guest is a trailblazer, a musical activist, a multi-disciplinary, multi-genre artist who has truly carved her own path of both honoring and celebrating lineage and creating a new one for generations to come,” Carmel Holt says of the guest on the third-anniversary episode of her show Sheroes. “Now nearly two decades into her career, Rhiannon Giddens has become one of the most awe-inspiring and influential artists of our time.” Holt talks with Giddens—who was also the radio show’s first guest three years ago—about her Grammy-nominated new album, You’re the One, and more. You can hear their conversation here.

  • “Rhiannon Giddens added to her impressive list of accomplishments earlier this year when the Grammy winner and MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant recipient won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music as co-composer of the opera Omar,” Kallao says of his guest on NPR’s World Cafe. “The highly decorated singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, composer, and author is relentlessly busy, so we are thrilled to talk to her about her new album, You’re the One.” You can hear their conversation and a live performance of songs from the Grammy-nominated new album and from earlier albums Freedom Highway and Tomorrow Is My Turn here.

  • About This Album

    Rhiannon Giddens has released a new music video and recording of “Just the Two of Us,” her take on the Bill Withers classic. The video, which you can watch below, features photos and videos taken by friends and family in quarantine, and workers in the North Carolina UNC and NY-Presbytarian healthcare systems. The recording features longtime collaborator Sxip Shirey on harmonica and electronics. You can listen to and download the song here; proceeds go to Global Giving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund.

    “We made this song in a very un-socially distanced time, a few years ago when our paths crossed in New York. It sat, untouched in our vaults since then. When Bill Withers passed, we suddenly remembered we had made this beautiful version of ‘Just the Two of Us,’ and thought it would serve as the perfect backdrop to the reality of where we are now—staying inside so that our healthcare workers have the best chance to fight this virus that cares nothing for the artificial divisions we have put up between us. So whether it's just the two of us, or just a few of us; whether the lockdown has been for months or it’s about to be lifted; Covid-19 is here for the foreseeable future, and the more we can be alone together now, the better the future will be.”

    For more information on the Global Giving Coronavirus Relief Fund and to donate, visit globalgiving.org.

    Giddens recently launched Art Is Alive: A COVID-19 Directory of Give and Take. The website collects and lists resources for artists and those willing to help them. It also has links and resources for fostering awareness, togetherness, and hope for the creative freelance communities affected by the pandemic. Art Is Alive lays out donation opportunities, sources of available funding, a full and ever-evolving list of official insights and information, as well as a breakdown of platforms offering at-home performance opportunities. The site aims to connect artists to fans in the current stay-at-home climate.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Rhiannon Giddens, vocals
    Sxip Shirey, harmonica and electronics
    John Altieri, sousaphone
    Attis Clopton, drums
    Don Godwin, valve trombone