In a just world, great songwriters would be honored even moreso than they are today-  more than artists with a flashy image, more than artists that have the hit single du jour, more than the latest boy band of the week.  John Hiatt is a name some of you may not be familiar with; however, many of his songs have been covered by plenty of popular artists over the years-  everyone from Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Healey, Mandy Moore, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Iggy Pop (among many) have recognized the man’s talents via their own versions.  Some have even recorded “Have A Little Faith In Me” but only one version stands tall above the others:  Hiatt’s original, found on his 1987 album Bring The Family.

With only piano accompaniment, Hiatt lays bare his soul and puts his heart on the line with an incredibly poignant love story.  The strength of the song is not only a beautiful, soul lifting lyric but the overall performance-  the piano starts subtly but shifts into heavier chords as Hiatt’s soulful vocal paints vivid pictures and gains confidence and strength as the song builds to its finale.  Sure, some vocalists have those dulcet tones or sing with angelic voices but sometimes they lack a certain character that makes them stand out from the pack.  Conviction, character, soulfulness, and the ability to sell a song is where John Hiatt often stands high above his peers.  Download this one immediately.