Chances are that if I told you that a notable rapper/hip-hop singer covered a Bruce Springsteen song, neither Dessa nor “I’m Goin’ Down” would immediately spring to mind as likely candidates.
And even if they did, you probably wouldn’t expect a moody, acoustic, and gorgeously atmospheric track like this.
Dessa’s version of “I’m Goin’ Down” hails from her 2013 album Parts of Speech, and it’s the only cover on an album otherwise full of original material written by the artist herself. (She’s done very few covers at all to date.)
Her performance dials up the melancholy to eleven and completely removes the counterbalancing humor of Bruce’s original arrangement. It works amazingly well.
Dessa is on tour, and she’s coming to New Jersey on November 19th–so if you want to catch her performing “I’m Goin’ Down” live (which she’s been known to do), your odds are probably best on that date.
Check out more of Dessa’s music and tour dates here.
