Hear the Bellamy Brothers’ New Stevie Wonder Cover [Exclusive Premiere]
In 1984, Stevie Wonder scored his 10th R&B No. 1 single with "I Just Called to Say I Love You." More than 35 years later, the Bellamy Brothers are putting their own spin on the song for a new covers album.
Written, produced and performed by Wonder, "I Just Called to Say I Love You" was not only an R&B hit, it also spent three weeks at the top of both the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and adult contemporary chart. As the lead single from The Woman in Red soundtrack, the song won Wonder Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, and earned him three Grammy Awards nominations.
"We tried to cover a variety of great songs in our style," David Bellamy tells The Boot of his and brother Howard Bellamy's process of creating their new album. "A lot of them were chosen because they were big world hits we would hear in our travels. And what a song title — who doesn’t want to hear someone say, 'I just called to say I love you?'"
The Bellamy Brothers' version of "I Just Called to Say I Love You" is premiering exclusively with The Boot. Press play below to listen:
"I Just Called to Say I Love You" is one of 12 classic songs covered by the Bellamy Brothers on their forthcoming new album, Covers From the Brothers. In addition to Wonder's song, the pair also covered "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," "Never Ending Love" and more, including "I Can Help" with actor and musician Dennis Quaid, for the project. Reigning CMA Musician of the Year Jenee Fleenor and awarded steel guitarist Paul Franklin are among the musicians who played on the record.
"Covers From the Brothers evolved starting with a couple of covers we recorded for a label in Switzerland," David Brothers explains. "We were reluctant to cover some of the songs in the beginning, but after a couple of tracks, it turned into a project that was just a lot of fun."
Covers From the Brothers, which the Bellamys co-produced with Randy Hiebert, is due out on Friday (Oct. 15). It's available for pre-order and to pre-save now.
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