Paul Cauthen and Orville Peck both bring a dash of soul to their solo music, but together, the pair dial it up as the Unrighteous Brothers. They’ve released under that moniker two Righteous Brothers covers, staying faithful to the original hits while adding just a bit of their own style.
In a press release, Cauthen explains that he’s “always wanted” to cover the the ’60s soul duo’s music, “but it took time to find the person I could pull it off with.” Peck proves the perfect accomplice in the pair’s covers of “Unchained Melody” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”
“Unchained Melody” is a cover of a song from a 1950s movie soundtrack, but the Righteous Brothers’ version of the song is now the best-known take. The song reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release, and charted again in 1991 after it was used in the movie Ghost.
Listen to the Unrighteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody”
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” meanwhile, was a Phil Spector-produced smash, and topped the Hot 100 after its release. It remains one of both the Righteous Brothers’ and Spector’s most famous works.
Listen to the Unrighteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”
For his part, Peck calls teaming with Cauthen for this project “a no-brainer,” and praises Cauthen’s “larger-than-life, soulful presence.”
Butch Walker and Beau Bedford co-produced Cauthen and Peck’s Unrighteous Brothers material. They recorded at RCA Studio A, with Nick Bockrath, Misa Arriaga, the Watson Twins, Russ Pollard and Ryan Keith as their studio band.
The Unrighteous Brothers’ two covers are being released on Saturday (Sept. 26) on 7-inch vinyl, as part of 2020’s second of three Record Store Day Drops. Proceeds from the collaboration are being donated to MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charitable endeavor that assists musicians in times of crisis.
As solo artists, Peck released a new EP, Show Pony, in August. Cauthen’s most recent album, Room 41, arrived in 2019.
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