Last May, Ali McGuirk reached into her back catalog and dusted off an extended cut of “What Have We Done?,” all in the name raising money for local COVID-19 relief. Fourteen months later, providing support is still on her mind.
The Boston blues veteran released a cover of Bobby Womack’s tune “That’s The Way I Feel About You” earlier this week (June 29) to benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a non-profit that financially assists career musicians who are “struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.”
“I’ve loved this song ever since I heard Aretha Franklin sing it on her Rare & Unreleased B-sides record,” McGuirk says. “It’s the type of dreamy, openhearted soul ballad that I’m a sucker for. I’ve always been drawn to the soul singers of the 60s and 70s and Bobby Womack is one of the greats. I recorded it on a whim in a living room one afternoon on tour with my friend Justin Henricks around the time Aretha passed away.”
While Sweet Relief offers funding to artists affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve been distributing grants since 1994 to help cover musicians’ medical expenses, insurance premiums, food and housing costs, and other basic necessities.
“We chose to use this track to support Sweet Relief Musicians Fund in efforts to put good into the world during such difficult times,” she adds. “The music industry has been hard hit and Sweet Relief has been doing the work of supporting creatives for a long time. It’s a beautiful thing to support each other when we can, especially in the name of such legends as Aretha Franklin and Bobby Womack.”
Grab a download for $10 via Bandcamp below.