For his next single on Skyline Records, rising bluegrass vocalist Dalton Harper has chosen to cover Love Reunited, a big hit for The Desert Rose Band in 1987.
Written by Chris Hillman and Steve Hill, it’s a catchy song about hanging on to true love when you find it. Hillman, of course, was a bluegrass guy, and carried that with him into The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, and later, the Desert Rose Band.
Always a bluegrass song at heart, Dalton kicks up the speed a bit and brings out every bit of the grass in his cut of Love Reunited.
He says that it’s one that he has enjoyed for years.
“The Desert Rose Band has always been an inspiration for me, and Love Reunited is one of those songs that I thought was so incredibly well written. It was a song that had that combination of a wonderful melody and an even better message. If you study the Desert Rose Band’s version, it was a very complex and dynamic track that combined wonderful arrangements of vocals that added a ton of character to the song. We tried our best to mimic a lot of the creative elements, including the harmonies, to stay as true as possible to the original track, but adding bluegrass character to the song. I am incredibly happy with the way this track turned out, and excited to share it with the world.”
Hillman also strongly approves of Harper’s cover.
“As a songwriter, it is always an honor when someone records one of your songs. Dalton Harper so honors me with his stunning rendition of Love Reunited; a song I wrote with Steve Hill back in the mid 1980s. It was our second single for The Desert Rose Band and went all the way to # 3 on the Billboard Country Chart.
Dalton flat out nailed it, with his version. He’s good and I have a feeling you’ll be hearing a lot of great music from him for a long, long time.
Thanks Dalton!”
With Dalton on guitar and lead vocal, studio support comes from Nick Dumas on mandolin, Jeff Partin on reso-guitar and bass, Jim VanCleve on fiddle, and Caleb Smith on banjo. Zach Top and Cheyenne Meyer add harmony vocals.
Have a listen and sing along with this lyric video.
Love Reunited by Dalton Harper is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
