On ‘Vignettes,’ Lumineers Frontman Wesley Schultz Strips Down Springsteen, Dylan, Waits And Zevon

Unsurprisingly, 2020 has been a strange year to release new music. Maybe that's why one of Colorado's biggest music stars looked to the past on his new album.

"Vignettes," the debut solo record from Lumineers frontman Wesley Schultz also doubles as a cover album. Schultz takes on songs by established rock veterans like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, along with contemporaries like Coldplay and The Felice Brothers. His renditions are stripped-down to their bare bones — often just vocals and a single guitar or piano.

"A lot of this album is trying to expose what is already there," Schultz said. "It's like we're putting the supermodel in sweatpants."

Schultz recorded "Vignettes" during the pandemic in just a few days. He worked with a small group of musician friends while his globetrotting Denver band remained inactive for the time being.

"I want to use all my original ideas for the Lumineers," he said. "This was a way to save all the good ideas for the band, and then still record something I really love."

Schultz isn't the only one who loves it. He got some feedback from Sheryl Crow who told him she cried after hearing his version of her 1996 hit "If It Makes You Happy."

Vignettes

• My City Of Ruins — Bruce Springsteen
• Downtown Train — Tom Waits
• Green Eyes — Coldplay
• If It Makes You Happy — Sheryl Crow
• Mrs. Potters Lullaby — Counting Crows
• Bell Bottom Blues — Derek and the Dominos
• Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels) — Jim Croce
• Boots Of Spanish Leather — Bob Dylan
• Ballad of Lou The Welterweight — The Felice Brothers
• Keep Me In Your Heart — Warren Zevon

To hear the full Colorado Matters interview with Wesley Shultz click on the listen button above.