Nothing like a backstage Opry confessional.
…and this one might ruin some of your day, so this is the official warning:
“READERS HAVE BEEN WARNED THIS WHISKEY RIFF NEWS MIGHT CAUSE A SH*TTY WEEK, PROCEED WITH CAUTION.”
Last week the cosmic cowgirl, Kaitlin Butts, graced this historic circle of the Grand Ole Opry. We had a chance to chat with her before she played her set that evening.
During the conversation, we chatted about her songwriting and how she is able to pull emotions from fans with her songs. Like Butts, her husband’s band, Flatland Cavalry, can also write some gut-wrenching tunes.
One song that was brought up in conversation was “How Long” off of Flatland Cavalry’s 2022 EP Songs To Keep You Warm, which featured Kaitlin.
Well… that is what all listeners thought until this conversation.
“Can I tell you a fun fact… I’m not singing on that song.”
During the harmonies found in the chorus, the “how long” notes highlight some beautiful melodies that sounded like Butts’ vocals.
As she has appeared on Flatland tracks in the past, fans did not question whose vocals they were, but even more so, she is specifically LISTED as a feature on the track.
Well, we got the whole story for y’all”
“I’m ratting them out. It says it… they mis-tagged me. It’s Cleto… it sounds like me, right?
Cleto sang really, really high on it. I think they mistook me singing on it because I helped him figure out the harmonies in the studio. So, I’m in there, but I’m really telling him what to do, and he sings really high, and it kind of sounded like me.
So they tagged, but I didn’t sing on it.”
Sorry to ruin it for all of you who love the song.
Once learning this information, naturally, “How Long” was fired up to see if it sounded any different.
If you listen very intently, you can hear that the harmonies do sound slightly off, but holy cow, I genuinely don’t think the average ear would have ever questioned it not knowing.
Kaitlin Butts must be a hell of a vocal coach to Cleto if his higher octaves sound spot on to her sound.
@whiskeyriff♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff
Give it a listen now that the truth is revealed, and see if you can spot any differences.
