Hear Lzzy Hale’s Cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’

Halestorm revisit some of their past songs on the new EP Reimagined, out now. But the project isn’t a clichéd set of acoustic readings; instead, the hard-rock band stays true to the EP’s title and revamps the arrangements. Their 2009 debut single “I Get Off” taps into brooding funk, while 2012’s “Break In” becomes a duet between Lzzy Hale and Amy Lee of Evanescence.

The left-field head-turner, however, is a faithful cover of “I Will Always Love You,” written by Dolly Parton and a signature hit for Whitney Houston. On Reimagined, Hale performs it as a mostly solo piano ballad (with shimmering cymbals and some strummed acoustic). She leans more toward Houston’s version, beginning with the a cappella introduction that distinguishes Houston’s rendition with producer David Foster. But Hale, ever the rock singer, can’t resist baring her teeth: by the final verse, she’s growling through the lyric “I wish you joy, and happiness.”

Halestorm recorded Reimagined a year ago, well before the ongoing pandemic, with longtime producer Nick Rasculinecz. “Over the last decade we’ve been putting out cover EPs in between every original album cycle just for fun….But this time around we decided to shake it up!” Hale wrote on Instagram. “For our Reimagined EP, we committed to only one cover but filled the rest with reimagined versions of Halestorm songs… I hope you find something in Reimagined that brings you joy and hope in these crazy times we live in!”

Halestorm’s last studio album was 2018’s Vicious. The group — Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger, drummer Arejay Hale, and bassist Josh Smith — supported the LP on a worldwide tour, including a run with Alice Cooper. In 2017, they released Reanimate 3.0, an EP featuring covers by Whitesnake, Soundgarden, and Sophie B. Hawkins.

Reimagined track list:

1. “I Get Off”
2. “I Miss the Misery”
3. “I Am the Fire”
4. “Break In” (feat. Amy Lee)
5. “I Will Always Love You”
6. “Mz. Hyde”