Los Angeles rock and roll stalwarts Cherie Currie and Brie Darling unveiled a cover of the T. Rex classic “The Motivator,” which serves as the title-track for their upcoming album, out August 2nd via Blue Élan Records.
Currie and Darling give “The Motivator” a slick contemporary makeover without forfeiting any of the original’s suggestive edge. The pair start out trading verses, with Currie’s rough-cut voice balancing Darling’s more soulful vocals, though the pair soon come together to create a wholly unique harmony.
Though Currie and Darling were both came up in the Los Angeles music scene during the Seventies as members of the Runaways and Fanny, respectively, the pair didn’t meet until 2017. The two bonded quickly and decided to cut a record together.
In a statement, Currie said the original concept of the album — which comprises nine covers and three originals — was to have her sing a few songs and Darling sing a few, with each providing back up for the other. But their rendition of “The Motivator” became a template for how many of the LP’s songs ended up as straight duets.
“I knew our voices really worked well together,” Currie said. “[I]n my head I heard a duet, me doing the first verse, her on the second verse and that started the dialog of using our voices together as a concept. Our voices complement each other, so we decided we should share the majority of these songs, because it makes them better.”
An official track list has yet to be released, but The Motivator will feature covers of songs by artists like the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, the Kinks and Buffalo Springfield. The album’s three original tracks are titled “Too Bruised,” “I’m Too Good, That’s Just Too Bad” and “This Is Our Time.” Dave Darling produced the record.
