Renee Olstead's Beautiful Cover of "Help Me Make It Through the Night" Will Leave You

It always makes you both inspired and infuriated when you come across a person who's natural talent isn't limited to just one field. Renee Olstead, who first gained attention in the public eye for her television work in shows like Still Standing and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, also turns out to be one UNBELIEVABLY talented vocalist! On Friday the 13th, she released her latest single "Help Me Make It Through the Night", and I'm gonna need someone to help me make it through the song without getting emotional!

Though it might not be common knowledge to some of her less committed followers, Olstead has always been involved in music from the beginning. She signed her first record deal with Warner Brothers Records/Reprise when she was only TWELVE and released her self-titled debut record of jazz standards when she was only FIFTEEN years old! The album featured jazz heavyweights like Chris Botti and Carol Welsman. It blows my mind, but somehow at 15 years old, she was able to summon the raw soul, emotion, and power of the great ladies in jazz before her. Now that she's older, her voice has only become smoother, more powerful, and has truly developed into a sound special and unique to herself.

Her latest release, "Help Me Make It Through the Night" is her interpretation of the Sammi Smith tune written by Kris Kristofferson. The song begins with the gentle picking of an acoustic guitar with an ambient pedal steel guitar filling in all the cracks. Her voice is soft but strong, transporting you right back to the early 70's when the original song was released. When the chorus kicks in, powerful background harmonies echo like you've been taken right to church! Subtlety is the name of the game in this song. No one is trying to do anything flashy or standoffish. Everyone on the track knows exactly what they need to do to fill out this soft and beautiful ballad that sits beautifully in a steady, laid-back groove.

The timing of this release could not have been more perfect with the weather FINALLY starting to cool down and feel like fall! This is the kind of song that makes you just wanna cozy up next to a fire while calmly sipping some tea (or whatever your hot beverage of choice is). Check out the tune and get it in your playlist rotation, it'll give you ALL of the feels!