Crys Matthews Releases Reimagining of 'Feeling Good'

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Crys Matthews has released a soulful reimagining of 'Feeling Good' via Shamus Records. The single is the latest from Holidays & Evergreens from Shamus Records, featuring a fresh collection of new recordings from TRO Essex Music Group's iconic back catalog.

Crys Matthews is the 2025 and 2022 Song of the Year winner at the International Folk Music Awards, making her the first artist to receive the honor twice since its inception, and she was also named 2024 Artist of the Year.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6H8E0YUDDp1v84hBDMnk01'si=3335452584f64c4b

About Crys Matthews

A troubadour of truth, Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends Country, Americana, Folk, Blues, and Bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. She is made for these times.

Matthews has signed with TRO Essex Music Group (Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Pete Townshend, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, and more) alongside its label arm, Shamus Records (Woody Guthrie's Woody at Home, Vol 1&2, Flamy Grant's CHURCH and Sam Robbins' So Much I Still Don't See), under an exclusive publishing and recording agreement.

Crys Matthews' impact has already been widely recognized across the industry. She is the 2025 and 2022 Song of the Year winner at the International Folk Music Awards, making her the first artist to receive the honor twice since its inception, and was also named 2024 Artist of the Year. In her own words, Matthews says her mission is to amplify the voices of the unheard, shed light on the unseen, and remain a steadfast reminder that hope and love are the truest pathways to equity and justice.

Matthews said of 'Feeling Good': 'I have always felt so drawn to Nina Simone. We are both North Carolinians, we both grew up loving classical music, and we were both raised in the church. This intimate version of her iconic song Feeling Good (featuring Seth Glier on the keys) feels like the embodiment of all of those things.'

'Written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1964 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, the song was first performed by a character simply called 'The Negro.' He sings the song after winning a 'ruleless game' against two white characters. The struggles of racial and socioeconomic inequality in 1960s Britain (the premise of the musical) paled in comparison to its American equivalent. As a fellow Black southerner, I don't have to imagine how deeply that resonated with Nina. That 'game' is being played just as fervently today as it was then. It is still just white supremacy coated in a veneer of capitalism — it was not (and is not) designed for Black or poor people to win. And so, Feeling Good is a freedom song of sorts, much like the songs Nina would've grown up hearing her ancestors sing.'

''Freedom is mine,' is just as revolutionary of a proclamation now as it was when Nina first sang it, and is an absolute honor to sing them now.'

About the Album

Holidays & Evergreens is the latest release from Shamus Records, featuring a fresh collection of new recordings from TRO Essex Music Group's iconic back catalog. The collection includes Crys Matthews' soulful reimagining of 'Feeling Good,' Jumaane Smith's take on 'Only You (And You Alone),' St. Vaughn's 'Goodnight Irene,' Casii Stephan's 'This Is Christmas,' St. Catherine's Child's 'Streets of London,' Sam Robbins' 'Caroling, Caroling,' Andy Korn's 'Dream a Little Dream of Me,' Jacklyn's 'Jingle Bell Rock,' and many more.

Shamus Records is the label arm of legendary music publisher TRO Essex Music Group, which for over 75 years has represented the catalogs and songs of acclaimed songwriters and artists including Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Bill Evans, Pete Seeger, Black Sabbath, Marc Bolan, Pink Floyd, The Who, and many more.

Launched in 2023, Shamus serves as a bridge between this extraordinary musical history and a new generation of artists and listeners. Through vintage collections and contemporary artist-produced releases, its growing catalog includes releases featuring Woody Guthrie, Flamy Grant, Crys Matthews, Sam Robbins, Casii Stephan, Sam Louis, and others.

The first single from Holidays & Evergreens is Crys Matthews' bold, soulful reimagining of 'Feeling Good,' kicking off a collection that celebrates the enduring power of great songs and the artists who make them their own.

https://www.crysmatthews.com/tour

https://www.instagram.com/crysmatthews

https://www.tiktok.com/@crysmatthewsmusic

https://shamusrecs.com/