Bob Schneider joined an all-star team of performers—including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, and Lucinda Williams—for the Jackson Browne tribute album Looking Into You, which was released in April. And this exclusive look at a live performance of the song Schneider performed for the album, Browne’s “Running On Empty,” helps confirm why Schneider, as an interpreter of Browne’s work, belongs in such esteemed company: his low-key rendition of one of the more anthemic songs in Browne’s catalog brings out new layers in the track.
That’s something that Looking Into You producer Tamara Saviano says appealed to her about the cover. “Bob Schneider transformed ‘Running On Empty’ from a blazing rock anthem to a simmering slow burn of blue eyed soul,” she says. Recorded at the Cherokee Creek Music Festival in San Saba County, Schneider and his band tease out the hints of melancholy that Browne covered in bombast, resulting in an interpretation of the song that’s sad and lovely—a fine Friday morning diversion. Watch the video below:
