Jason Molina recorded dozens of impeccable songs during his prolific but still all-too-short career. One of those beautiful tunes is “Just Be Simple,” a song from his classic 2003 album Magnolia Electric Co., released under his Songs: Ohia moniker. It’s a stripped-back folk song about, simply, trying “to be simple again.”
On this day (July 30) in 2018, the incredible songwriter, fiddler and member of country supergroup The Highwomen Amanda Shires covered this song in our New York City studio. Her version is slightly more glossy thanks to her added fiddle, and her honky-tonk vocals give it a fresh new spin.
Shires released her most recent solo effort To the Sunset in 2018. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit released their latest album, Reunions, back in May. There’s a final collection of Jason Molina songs, Eight Gates, arriving next week on Aug. 7, just over seven years after his death.
Watch Shires’ cover, followed by her entire 2018 Paste Studio, session below.
Read: Amanda Shires: A Poet, a Fiddle and a Party
