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Apr 30, 2021 By Mark Redfern

Moby is releasing a new album, Reprise, which consists of re-envisionings of songs throughout his career alongside the Budapest Art Orchestra. It will be out on May 28 via Deutsche Grammophon. Now he has shared another track from it, a new version of “Natural Blues” featuring Gregory Porter and Amythyst Kiah. It was shared via a video. The original version of the song was featured on his hit 2000-released album Play. Moby co-directed the video with Rob Bralver. Watch it below.

Moby had this to say in a press release: “I’ve had songs that are very despairing, and some that are celebratory, but more often than not I guess my music lives in a bittersweet in-between. Gregory Porter and Amythyst Kiah’s performances bring a new sense of yearning to the song that encompasses both light and dark tones. Their thoughtful interpretations bring out deep nuances to the track only they could uniquely offer.”

Gregory Porter says: “When I first heard Moby’s ‘Natural Blues’ I had an immediate connection with the song. It sounded very modern, but at the same time, it felt a thousand years old. The different influences that flow through this music are brought to the fore again with in this new version – amplifying the soul, spirit and voice of another time. It’s a pleasure to lend my voice to this classic tune, reimagined and renewed.”

Amythyst Kiah adds: “I was honored to be asked to sing on this mind-blowing version of ‘Natural Blues.’ I remember hearing the song as a child, but it wasn’t until I studied old time music in college that I realized that I had been listening to the voice of Vera Hall, sampled from the Lomax collection. I’ve been playing ‘Natural Blues’ for years now and it’s the example I give when talking to people about the importance of field recordings and the places they transport us, musically. To come full circle in this way is more than I ever could have hoped for. Hearing my voice with Gregory Porter’s is just stunning and I’m so happy to share this song with such an incredible vocalist.”

Previously Moby shared a new version of “Porcelain,” featuring Jim James of My Morning Jacket. Then there was a new version of “The Lonely Night” featuring Kris Kristofferson and Mark Lanegan.

Moby also had this to say about the album in a previous press release: “Sorry if this seems self-evident, but for me the main purpose of music is to communicate emotion, to share some aspect of the human condition to whomever might be listening. I long for the simplicity and vulnerability you can get with acoustic or classical music.”

An upcoming Moby documentary, titled Moby Doc, which features an autobiographical account of the artist’s life as well as interviews with David Lynch and David Bowie, will be out in cinemas as well as streaming on May 28 via Greenwich Entertainment.

Reprise Tracklist:

1. Everloving
2. Natural Blues (featuring Gregory Porter & Amythyst Kiah)
3. Go
4. Porcelain (featuring Jim James)
5. Extreme Ways
6. Heroes (featuring Mindy Jones)
7. God Moving Over The Face of the Water (featuring Vikingur Ólafsson)
8. Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad (featuring Apollo Jane)
9. The Lonely Night (featuring Kris Kristofferson & Mark Lanegan)
10. We Are All Made of Stars
11. Lift Me Up
12. The Great Escape (featuring Nataly Dawn, Alice Skye, Luna Li)
13. Almost Home (featuring Novo Amor, Mindy Jones and Darlingside)
14. The Last Day (featuring Skylar Grey & Darlingside)

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