Angel Olsen has been compared to ’60s folk favorite Karen Dalton on numerous occasions, and today brings news that should please fans of both artists: Olsen has covered “Something On Your Mind,” from Dalton’s 1971 album In My Own Time.
The recording is part of Light In The Attic’s Cover Series and is being released on a 7-inch vinyl that also includes Dalton’s original recording on the B side. After that, on March 25, the label will share a 50th anniversary edition of In My Own Time.
Olsen says of the song, “‘Something On Your Mind,’ for me, is about letting yourself face something that keeps setting you back.”
Of course, this comes shortly after the 2021 documentary Karen Dalton: In My Own Time, in which Olsen read some of Dalton’s journal entries. In an interview, co-directors Richard Peete and Robert Yapkowitz spoke about Olsen’s involvement with the film, with Peete saying, “It was just a perfect way for her to contribute, and she nailed it. She got the nuance and the certain little comedic beats and the sad parts. She did a really incredible job.” Yapkowitz added, “It’s nice to have someone else like Angel read it just to contribute in some way besides sitting down and giving an interview and saying, ‘I love Karen Dalton’s music,’ you know? There’s only so many times you can hear that before it loses its meaning, so to have people like Angel and Julia Holter, who did the score, contribute in those ways is not only showing their support for Karen and her legacy, but it’s also truly helping tell the story.”
Listen to Olson’s cover of “Something On Your Mind” above.