On the heels of an EP announcement by Avicii's manager Ash Pournouri, Avicii has decided to stun the music community by releasing a new song "Divine Sorrow" with Wyclef Jean without warning. However, as part of Avicii's partnership with World AIDS organization (RED), whose goal is to deliver the first AIDS free generation in thirty years, and Coca-Cola, one of the corporate sponsors for the campaign, Avicii has released the final product of a previously reported collaboration with Wyclef Jean, "Divine Sorrow."
We first heard about this collaboration over the summer in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine and it seemed that the track would appear on Avicii's upcoming album Stories. However, that is not the case. Now, without warning, "Divine Sorrow" has hit Wyclef Jean's YouTube page and is now available for purchase on iTunes, where a portion of the proceeds will be donated to (RED) and the fight against AIDS.
For a track donated to a charity campaign, this is very strong. Avicii and Wyclef Jean could have mailed this one in and delivered something subpar that was never going to see the light of day. Instead Wyclef Jean deliver an excellent vocal offering and Avicii flexes his production muscles as their sounds find an even middle ground that mesh perfectly.
Wyclef Jean delivers uplifting, catchy hooks, at one point rousingly shouts "We will never, we will never, be the weary kind, we will sing our sorrows away", before giving way to cheery synth work that displays Avicii's skill at crafting memorable melodies.
Jean's calming verses flow over a soft strumming guitar that has become the hallmark of the new Avicii since his debut 2013 artist album True, however he does not totally give way to a guitar and allows his synth work to be the focal point on the track.
An unlikely collaboration at first glance may have produced something odd, but after hearing the final product we are more than impress with what Avicii and Wyclef Jean have contributed to (RED)'s campaign this year.
Avicii is further contributing to the campaign by giving away a whole slew of prizes including signed merchandise and the chance to hang out with him back stage at a show in Las Vegas.
Purchase the song on iTunes.
