Ten years after Gerry Rafferty's death, the Scottish singer/songwriter's 11th studio album, Rest in Blue, will be released on September 3 as a digital download and via streaming services.
Rafferty had been working on the project of and on between 2006 and his passing, and the completion of the 14-track collection was overseen by Gerry's daughter, Martha.
Some of the recordings that appear on Rest in Blue were demos Gerry made dating back as far as 1970 of songs he'd intended to include on the album.
While the project features mostly original, previously unreleased tunes, it also includes renditions of the traditional tunes "Wild Mountain Thyme" and "Dirty Old Town" and Richard & Linda Thompson's "It's Just the Motion." Bringing the album to a close is a country-flavored version of "Stuck in the Middle with You" — Rafferty's smash 1973 hit with his old band Stealers Wheel.
A number of guest musicians contributed to Rest in Blue, including guitarist Hugh Burns, who played on Rafferty's 1978 solo hits "Baker Street" and "Right Down the Line" and many other recordings by the late singer; lauded backing vocalist Katie Kissoon, a longtime member of Eric Clapton's touring group; and former Dire Straits keyboardist Alan Clark.
In advance of Rest in Blue's release, one of the tracks, "Slow Down," has been made available as a digital single.
Rafferty died in January 2011 of liver failure at age 63 after years of struggling with alcoholism.
Here's the full Rest in Blue track list:
"Still in Denial"
"Full Moon"
"Sign of the Times"
"You Are All I Want"
"I Still Love You"
"Wild Mountain Thyme"
"Slow Down"
"It's Just the Motion"
"Look at Me Now"
"Dirty Old Town"
"Lost Highway"
"Keeper of My Soul"
"Precious Moments"
"Stuck in the Middle with You"
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