Eddie 9V strips back Rock Your Baby for a gritty Southern soul remake
Eddie 9V has recast George McCrae’s disco-era staple Rock Your Baby as a lean, blues-soaked Southern soul number, offering the latest preview of his forthcoming album Down Here.
Originally a 1974 chart-topper for George McCrae, the song was written by KC and the Sunshine Band’s Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch. Eddie 9V’s version moves far from the polished disco sweep of the original, instead settling into a deep groove punctuated by slide guitar and a raw live-band feel.
Produced by Dan Auerbach at Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville, the recording was cut live with the band in the room. Eddie 9V has said he approached the familiar track by imagining how it may have sounded if McCrae had taken it to Muscle Shoals with a Southern soul outfit.
A disco classic taken somewhere darker
Speaking about the session, Eddie 9V said: “Rock Your Baby pushed me completely out of my comfort zone, and that’s where the best stuff happens. Dan was coaching me line by line, a foot from my face, while the band learned the whole song in about twenty minutes flat.
“What came out of that room is pure Southern grit, and I think we found the soul song that was hiding inside that disco classic the whole time.”
The track follows previous Down Here singles Blowin’ Up and Whole Lot Coming For You. The latter was selected as a Guitar World Editors’ Pick and named Classic Rock’s Track of the Week.
Down Here arrives on 6 November via Easy Eye Sound. The album was also shaped with contributions from Marcus King, Pat McLaughlin and Daniel Tashian, with Auerbach overseeing the sessions in Nashville.
Fans can pre-save or pre-order Down Here here.
