Hear Marcus King’s Afrobeat-Influenced Gnarls Barkley ‘Crazy’ Cover For ‘Spotify Singles’

Guitarist Marcus King assembled with his full band last year at famed New York City studio Electric Lady to record a pair of songs for the Spotify Singles series. King led the crew through an Afrobeat-influenced cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” and a reworked take on his original “It’s Too Late.”

Gnarls Barkley — the duo consisting of vocalist CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse — released “Crazy” in 2006 as their debut single. The song was a hit worldwide including in the U.S., where it reached the number two slot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Marcus King Band has been known to perform a more soul-laden cover of “Crazy” live in concert.

Marcus King initially put out “It’s Too Late” on his recently issued sophomore solo album, Young Blood. While King was backed by drummer Chris St. Hilaire and bassist Nick Movshon for the trio version featured on his LP, the full band with its blaring horns gave the tune a new feel at Electric Lady.

King shared the following in regards to his experience at Electric Lady for Spotify Singles:

“Recording music at Electric Lady Studios was like a religious experience for myself and the band. We were greeted at the door by our dear friend and engineer William Garrett at the iconic entrance way of the studio. The downstairs neighbors complained about the guitar amplifiers in the bathroom, it was a dream recording session! The songs were chosen carefully by myself and the group to fully represent all we can do musically. We started the day performing the opening track of Young Blood, ‘It’s Too Late,’ this time with a brass section. ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley has long been a cover we’ve performed on rare occasions. It seemed befitting given the lyrical content of the most recent album, and where I was mentally at the time. We wanted to add a different spin to it so we decided to intertwine Fela Kuti’s ‘Zombie’ within our own take of ‘Crazy.’ We hope you enjoy it! Thank you to Electric Lady Studios and Spotify for the hospitality!”

Stream Marcus King’s Spotify Singles contribution below:

Marcus King is currently on the road for the latest leg of his Young Blood tour featuring support from Neal Francis and Ashland Craft. King played Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium on September 29 and 30. Watch free replays of King at “The Mother Church” via Volume.com.