Dr. John posthumous album on the way (stream a track)

A posthumous Dr. John album called Things Happen That Way is coming out September 23 via Rounder Records (pre-order). According to Rolling Stone, he was working on it before he died, and it features covers of Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Ramblin’ Man,” Jack Clement’s “Guess Things Happen That Way” (made famous by Johnny Cash), Willie Nelson’s “Funny How Time Slips Away,” and the Traveling Wilburys’ “End of the Line” (ft. Aaron Neville), as well as new original material and new versions of older original material. The first single is a new version of “I Walk on Guilded Splinters,” which originally appeared on Dr. John’s classic 1968 album Gris-Gris, and this new version was made with Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real. Hear it below.

The album not only features a Willie Nelson cover, but also a duet with Willie on “Gimme That Old Time Religion.” Speaking about the covers, Dr. John’s daughter Karla R. Pratt — who executive-produced the album — called them “a musical tip of the hat to the greats who preceded him.” “Years ago he talked about how hip Hank Williams was,” she continues. “He loved how simple yet emotionally complex Hank’s songs are, that they have a hook with a twist. For this album inspired by listening to the Louisiana Hayride [radio show] and icons of country and western, he was excited to do songs in a way that evokes emotion that sticks with you long after one of the songs — done his soulful way — is played.”