Joshua Ray Walker Reveals His Version of The Cranberries’ ‘Linger’, European Tour Dates

Joshua Ray Walker‘s new album What Is It Even? arrives on August 4th with the US country star delivering two of the tracks from the set – Cuz I Love You and Linger. The titles may seem familiar, as Joshua looks set to provide his own versions of a number of contemporary female-sung anthems for the collection, with the star putting his own country spin on the numbers.

Linger was originally a top twenty UK hit for The Cranberries arriving in 1993, yet Joshua’s take features Adam “Ditch” Kurtz on pedal steel and Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass providing a recorder solo which mirrors the original’s slide guitar solo. There are also the sublime, distinctive vocals of the Joshua taking the track to another level of originality.

Josha shared: “After belting it out with the band on a late night drive after a show, we decided ‘Linger’ had to make the album. Once in studio, our bassist Billy Bones suggested we ask our new friend Kyle Gass to add a recorder solo. It was the perfect addition, and fit squarely within our ethos of ‘What Is It Even’ while making the record.”

On the upcoming LP, the country star shares: “I just wanted to make something that was fun. I realized how influential female pop records and artists have been on me as a person, even more than in a creative sense.”

See the full eleven song tracklist below. You can order the album here.

1. Cuz I Love You (Lizzo)
2. Linger feat Kyle Gass of Tenacious D (The Cranberries)
3. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston)
4. Believe (Cher)
5. Cheap Thrills (Sia)
6. Blue (LeAnn Rimes)
7. Goodbye Horses (Q Lazarus)
8. Nothing Compares 2 U (Sinead O’Connor)
9. Joshua (Dolly Parton)
10. Halo (Beyonce)
11. Samson (Regina Spektor)

You can see the country star’s upcoming European tour dates below:

August 11 – Kristiansand, NO – Vaktbua

August 13 – Oslo, NO – Cosmopolite Scene

August 14 – Trondheim, NO – Trykkeriet

August 15 – Bergen, NO – Ole Bull

August 17 – Stavanger, NO – Tou Scene

August 18 – Bodø, Norway – Parkenfestivalen

August 20 – Stockholm, SWE – Rootsy Live Stockholm

August 22 – Gothenburg, SWE – Pustervik

August 23 – Malmö, SWE – Folk å Rock

August 24-26 – Copenhagen, DK – Tønder

August 27 – Lutterworth, UK – The Long Road

August 28 – Hamburg, DE – Nachtwache

August 30 – Nijmegen, NL – Merleyn

August 31 – Amsterdam, NL – Het Zonnehuis

September 2 – London, UK – Oslo Hackney

September 3 – Newcastle, UK – The Cluny 2

September 4 – Glasgow, UK – The Hug and Pint

September 5 – Manchester, UK – The Deaf Institute

September 6 – Brighton, UK – The Prince Albert

September 8 – Cologne, DE – Blue Shell

September 9 – Enschede, NL – Tuckerville

September 10 – Berlin, DE – PRIVATCLUB