Dan Auerbach can’t remember the first time he heard a John Anderson song. “It’s just like they’ve always been around,” he says of the music of the revered country singer songwriter. “John is like Tom Petty, songs like ‘Seminole Wind’ and ‘Swingin’’ are just songs you know. They’re part of the fabric of America.” That tapestry is about to get several threads richer with the release of the stunning new all-star homage Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute To John Anderson. The renowned producer (Dr. John, Yola) and one half of the Black Keys recorded the 13-track collection piecemeal over the course of 2020 and 2021, in partnership with friend and co-conspirator David “Fergie” Ferguson (John Prine, Sturgill Simpson). The musicians showed up and showed out for Anderson with contributions from a wide range of stylists including Eric Church, Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, John Prine, and Nathaniel Rateliff among others. 

A palpable sense of dedication to the songs, and the reverence for one of the best to ever do it in country music, vaults Something Borrowed to cut-above status befitting Anderson’s epic career, which stretches over 45 years and 40 charting singles. The results are a gorgeous coalescence of the many facets of Anderson’s sound and his ability to both write and choose timeless songs to be handled by his kissed-by a-spirit vocal styling. 

“When you’re sitting behind the console and you hear that voice come out of the speakers  in real time, it’s spine tingling,”  says Auerbach of Anderson’s  unmistakable croon that deftly balances vulnerability and power, humor, and heart. 

“We weren’t trying to piddle around and make the normal tribute record,” says Auerbach, who became close with Anderson while producing the Florida native’s vibrant 2020 album Years in his Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville. “It had to be the best singers with the best songs and the best arrangements, and they all had to come into the studio. This wasn’t like, ‘Mail me the song, and we’ll put it together.’ Everybody had to come here and do their thing. I think it makes this record unique. I don’t think most tribute records are done like this. I think that’s why it sounds like a cohesive album. It feels like an amazing mix tape.” 

While being respectful of the originals, the artists did not shy away from making the songs their own. From the wistful opener —the late John Prine’s note perfect “1959”— to Combs’ spirited tear through the seminal anthem “Seminole Wind” to Church’s amped up shot at “Mississippi Moon,” many of the tracks could easily be hits again today. Brothers Osborne hit the tonal bullseye with their heated version of Anderson’s playful swing at the Bo Diddley classic “You Can’t Judge A Book (By The Cover)” and Ashely McBryde gets to the bottom of “Straight Tequila Night.” Artists as diverse as Sierra Ferrell, Tyler Childers, Brent Cobb, and Nathaniel Rateliff take Anderson’s songs through the trad country spectrum from earthy mountain highs to the slinky, swampy lows of the back country to the hardscrabble honky-tonk dance floor. 

“The hardest thing in the world is to be unique and on top of it to be successful,” marvels Auerbach. “It’s like winning the lottery twice.” 

Anderson’s third grand prize is this album, for which the 67-year-old musician could not be more grateful. Following a serious health setback in 2019, his amazing rebound with Years, and his ability to ride out the pandemic with his family at his beloved homestead in Smithville, TN, Anderson feels truly touched by a higher power and moved by this outpouring. “The good Lord healed me,” he says, “and this tribute humbled me.”