Alex Isley has always had music in her blood. That’s because she’s part of the famed Isley musical dynasty thanks to her dad, Ernie Isley of the seminal band The Isley Brothers. Surprisingly, despite her legendary lineage, Alex has never recorded a song with dear old dad. That changes now, however, with the release of the father-daughter duo’s new single, a cover of The Isleys 1974 cut “Brown Eyed Girl.”
If you’re a fan of The Isley Brothers, then you know that Ernie is a guitar maestro. The elder Isley does what does best for this new take on “Brown Eyed Girl,” turning it into a slower-paced, acoustic cut more in line with Alex’s own musical style. She steps into the role of her uncle Ron Isley as she sings the song’s tender lyrics with an earnest conviction.
Her version takes the lovelorn lyrics of the song — which was written and composed by her dad and his brothers — and makes them seem like thoughts from her own mind. “Wish I could sing you / Sing you the song I sang once,” she sings on the opening verse. “Brown eyed girl, if you could deal with it, baby / I would sing it all night.”
Their musical bond is also evident in the in-studio performance video. The two musicians never physically interact, but the way they play off of each other displays their closeness. This is further shown by Alex’s comment on an Instagram post announcing the collaboration with a preview of the performance video. “This is the very first time my Dad and I have recorded together,” she wrote. “[T]hank you Dad for such beautiful music & lyrics you wrote for you and your brothers years ago.”
While we’re surprised it took Alex Isley and Ernie Isley this long to record together, we’re definitely happy with the results. Take a listen to “Brown Eyed Girl” and peep the Instagram preview of the performance video below. To see their performance in full, head over to YouTube.