Rest In Blue

From 2006, Rafferty started work on a new album on and off, but sadly passed away in 2011. His daughter, Martha Rafferty, sought to complete a project started by her father, culminating in Rest In Blue. Many of the demos left by Rafferty included multiple layers of synths, which Martha stripped back to showcase his immense vocal ability. The result is an album brimming with raw emotion, and a quintessential collection of blues, rock, and folk. Some of the demos date back as far as 1970, many of which Rafferty had singled out as potential tracks for his new album.

With elements of the songs written at varying parts of Rafferty’s career, the album tackles a variety of topics including, climate change on “Sign Of The Times,” questioning the legality of war in “Lost Highway,” and addressing problems with his alcoholism in the emotively honest “Still In Denial.” As well as many brand-new originals penned by Rafferty, the album features popular traditional folk songs such as “Wild Mountain Thyme” and “Dirty Old Town.” It also features a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s “It’s Just The Motion,” an artist Rafferty was a big admirer of. The album finishes with a re-record of the Stealers Wheel classic “Stuck In The Middle With You” recorded back in the 90s, which gives the track a fresh, country-inspired interpretation.