After touring the country with Gary Clark Jr. last year, it made sense for soul group Los Coast to enlist the guitar virtuoso for their latest cover of a ’60s classic.
The Texas group and producer Jacob Sciba hit up Clark when they decided to cover Sam Cooke’s on “A Change Is Gonna Come” for charity a few months ago. And it wasn’t until Clark shared a story with vocalist Trey Privott that the decision became much more meaningful.
“Gary told me a story about this man who called him from prison,” Privott says. “The man said that he listened to ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ everyday to maintain hope as he got through his term. There are people like this all over the United States in our prison system. That’s what the song is about. It’s a cry for equality in the justice system. It’s a plea for a fair shot at the American Dream.”
The single, which features Privott’s smokey vocals throughout and Clark on the strings, is a moving and powerful spin on the 1964 Cooke classic.
The recording follows the group’s 2019 psychedelic debut LP Samsara, and all proceeds for the single will go toward DAWA, a “safety net” for people of color going through short-term life crisis. Money earned from the track will go toward “musicians, artists, social workers, teachers, healing practitioners, service industry workers” and other POC in positions that help others.
Read our 101 best albums of the 2010s, which features Clark, and check out Los Coast’s cover below: