With This Cover, Trea Landon Is Doing Right by Keith Whitley

A Georgia native who wan’t even born in the ’80s, Trea Landon is turning to the artists from that often overlooked decade in a new series of classic covers.

Produced by Scott Hendricks, the second installment of Trae Landon’s Classic Covers Series is a solid rendering of Keith Whitley’s “Somebody’s Doin’ Me Right.” The easygoing love song reached No. 15 at country radio in March 1992, nearly three years after Whitley’s death.
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“I knew I wanted to cut a Keith Whitley song for this series, but it was really hard to choose which one,” Landon said in a statement. “I think he’s one of the best vocalists in our genre. The lyrics in ‘Somebody’s Doin’ Me Right’ are relatable to where I am in life right now, so that’s why I ultimately ended up going with it. It’s been awesome to record my own versions of songs I grew up on.”

Interestingly, Jon Pardi also placed “Somebody’s Doin’ Me Right” on a surprise album of covers, Rancho Fiesta Sessions, while Josh Turner chose “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” for his new album, Country State of Mind. Among Whitley’s other classics, “Ten Feet Away” has been cut by Diamond Rio and Joe Nichols, while Daryle Singletary turned in a strong version of “Miami, My Amy” in 2007.
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Though Whitley died in 1989, his music clearly lives on three decades later. Adam Chaffins, a Kentucky native who now lives in Nashville, submitted a cool version of “I’m Over You” in 2018, a year before Dylan Scott offered an EP of Whitley’s material. The most famous of Whitley remakes, Alison Krauss’ “When You Say Nothing at All,” won a 1995 CMA Award — and thus celebrates its silver anniversary this year.

Meanwhile, Trea Landon covered Hank Williams Jr’s “Old Habits” in July, while renditions of hits by Ronnie Milsap and T.G. Sheppard will be issued in the months ahead.