Childish Gambino Covers “Stay High”

Brittany Howard and Childish Gambino, photo by Danny Clinch

Childish Gambino covers “Stay High” by alt-soul rocker Brittany Howard. This is the lead single for her new remix album, Jaime Reimagined. The album is a reworked compilation of tracks from her debut album Jaime, released in September of 2019. The debut garnered a number of Grammy nominations, including for Best Rock Performance and Best Roots Album. Howard was able to coax Childish Gambino out of his declared retirement for the cover. His reconstruction of the Grammy-winning track is a bluesy send-up to Howard’s original.   

Childish Gambino covers “Stay High” with finesse 

It’s no surprise that Donald Glovers’s talents were tapped for Jaime Reimagined, since he is a five-time Grammy winner himself. He has worn many hats including that of actor, comedian, singer, and producer. For his turn of Stay High, he injected electronic elements, synth riffs and a touch of R&B. As a result, Gambino transports us back to his 2016 single, “Redbone”, complete with falsetto vocals.

This is the remix

Although Howard is known for her alternative rock and soul signature, Hip-Hop has also been brought into the fold with “He Loves Me”. This is a recharged spin of the funk-driven original featuring Common and produced by 9th Wonder. Because of her genre hopping ability, she has managed to revisit the soul of the first Jaime without getting stale.

Jaime Reimagined is out digitally on July 23. A vinyl edition will follow on September 24.

Listen below to Stay High here:

By: Sharon Garza

@MizShazo