Deloyd Elze – “Drive Like I Never Been Hurt” (Ry Cooder Cover)

It's a big week for Ry Cooder, whether he knows it or not. First, in my interview with Sam and Louise Sullivan, Sam noted that he interpolated a guitar part from Cooder's "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live" on their song "Ms. Mercedes." Now Deloyd Elze has released a new Cooder cover.We named Elze, the LA-based digital country singer-songwriter born Jacob Henry Allen, an Artist To Watch on the strength of his early EPs, including this year's Nellene. Today he released an expanded edition of Nellene with one extra track tacked on, his rendition of Cooder's "Drive Like I Never Been Hurt." The song comes from the roots rocker's 2008 concept album I, Flathead: The Songs Of Kash Buk And The Klowns, and its use of shimmery, manipulated guitars and a stilted, unconventional beat lends itself to Elze's style. Remarkably, he goes from sounding like Sam Hunt when he's speaking to Sturgill Simpson when he's singing; fortunately, he kept the mariachi-esque brass.A word from Allen:Songs have an extraordinary ability to catch us off guard at the most unexpected moments. My first encounter with Ry Cooder was through Ryan Richter’s rendition of “No Hard Feelings,” then followed by devou...