Listening Post #3: Jesse

I was listening to the radio the other night when I heard mention of a Jesse Malin tribute album, featuring this cover by Bruce Springsteen…

Hang on a minute – why is there a Jesse Malin tribute album? I guess I’d missed the news. In May 2023, Malin suffered an extremely rare spinal stroke which left him paralysed from the waist down. Ever since then, he’s dedicated himself to recovery, including a number of operations, long days of  physical therapy and rehabilitation, even trips to South America to try alternate routes to rehabilitation. All this has cost a heck of a lot of money, hence the need set up a Sweet Relief fund-raiser, and this tribute album featuring a load of top names covering Jesse’s songs, among them Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Billie Joe Armstrong, The Hold Steady, Frank Turner, Susanna Hoffs and, of course, Bruce.

The good news is that Jesse is starting to get some strength back in his legs and he’ll be performing his first live shows since the stroke in December, with help from many of the artists featured on the album. Wishing him well for continued recovery.

Here’s the man himself singing one of his best songs…