Kendell Marvel Drops Cover of Lee Hazlewood’s ‘Houston’

Kendell Marvel has dropped a new cover version of “Houston,” originally penned by the oddball singer-songwriter Lee Hazlewood and later cut by Dean Martin. It’s the first new music that country singer Marvel has released since his album Solid Gold Sounds arrived in 2019.

Cut at Easy Eye Sound with Solid Gold Sounds producers Dan Auerbach and Dave Ferguson, Marvel’s version of “Houston” retains the breezy jangle of the original but adds some muscular rhythmic punch, woozy slide guitar, and Marvel’s warm vocals. Ferguson actually introduced Marvel to the song right as they were heading in to record tracks for Solid Gold Sounds and suggested they put their own spin on it.

“I listened a few times and was intrigued by his phrasing of the song so I listened to some more Lee Hazlewood stuff and instantly became a fan of his writing,” Marvel says. “Hazlewood was a melting pot of styles and gave zero shits about anything. He was a psychedelic outlaw way ahead of his time.”

“This is the first time we’ve had an artist cover Lee Hazlewood at Easy Eye…it was long overdue,” Auerbach adds.

Along with the release of the song, Marvel appears in a new video directed by Ryad Nadzam, preparing an elaborate breakfast for an unexpected “her.”

Prior to the pandemic, Marvel also hosted the recurring Honky Tonk Experience events in Nashville, frequently drawing guest performers from mainstream country, Americana, rock, and beyond.