What better gift for a birthday boy than his own song, rescued from the sonic dust pile and reborn?
Dylan’s fellow Minnesota native Nikki Jean, a twentysomething singer-songwriter previously best known for touring with Kanye West and guesting on Lupe Fiasco tracks, looked to more traditional inspirations for her upcoming July 12 release Pennies In a Jar.
Pennies features songs co-penned by Burt Bacharach, Carole King, Carly Simon, and yes, Bob Dylan, whose “Steel and Feathers” is an unfinished track circa his early ’80s Shot of Love era; producer Sam Hollander introduced Dylan to Nikki’s work, and he gave her his permission to complete the composition.
Listen to the final result of their decade-crossing collaboration, exclusive to EW.com, after the jump:
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