When you talk about the current state of independent/alternative country, there are a few names that instantly pop into mind. While, of course, Zach Bryan, Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers have become sort of the poster boys for the subgenre, you’d be hard-pressed to not hear the names of Wyatt Flores and Charles Wesley Godwin get brought up in terms of who’s the best of the best.
A collaboration between the two has been a dream of many (myself included), and Flores gave us a little taste of the magic that’s present when the two collaborate on YouTube with the release of a cover of Chris Knight’s underrated 2003 track, “The Jealous Kind,” live from the Ryman.
Introducing the song, Flores opened up with a short monologue and noted that the first time he played the Ryman was during a show with Godwin, “What’s crazy, and I try not to think about it but everyone keeps coming up to me. And they go, ‘You know, it’s only been a year and a weekend since the last time that you played the Ryman. And I was so lucky that I got to play the Ryman, only because of one person. That’s Charles Wesley Godwin.”
“I’m so lucky because I actually got to go on tour with him and do the west coast tour. He really did take me underneath his wing. I was scared of him, honestly. I didn’t want to get in the way. Whenever we opened for him, I just made sure to stay out of sight, out of mind. That was the best thing that I could possibly do.”
Flores then mentioned the fact that the duo posted an acoustic version of the song last summer during Godwin’s tour, “He really did take me under his wind, and we’d be listening to this song as a band. We were like, ‘Man, we should really cover this song too.’ And one day while we were out on tour together back in the summer, he’s like, ‘Hey man, do you want to do this song with me and put it on YouTube?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, sure man. Whatever you want to do.'”
The “Please Don’t Go” singer finished by thanking Godwin for the role he played in his career, “I just want to give a big thanks to Charles, for everything that he”s done for us, for allowing us to share the stage with him. I can’t say that I’d be here if it wasn’t for him letting us open up the stage for him last year.”
To no one’s surprise, Flores and Godwin absolutely killed it. If there was any question as to why these two are some of the best that the genre has to offer today, this performance answers that and then some. It’s simply that good.
Watch here: