Carrie Underwood is a known metalhead and hard rock fanatic, which has become more apparent based on recent set lists and stage outfits. During a May appearance on Howard Stern, Underwood flaunted her fandom further by covering Ozzy Osbourne.
That's not as weird a jump as some might assume, considering Osbourne's catalog of heartfelt ballads that mirror country storytelling. It's even less of a leap because Underwood and her band chose "Mama, I'm Coming Home," which begins with pedal steel and builds up to a Zakk Wylde guitar solo that wouldn't sound out of place in Underwood's stadium show.
"I very much remember being a teenager, kind of discovering my own musical taste and my mom being very much against me listening to Ozzy," Underwood told Stern. "I was like, 'I feel like you need to listen to some of these lyrics because it's not all darkness. There's a lot of love songs and things that are a lot more melodic and sweet.'"
Underwood added that she got the blessing to cover the song from Osbourne's spouse and the song's inspiration, Sharon.
Jangly country-folk elements get amped up by Underwood and her band without sacrificing the harmony-filled original's grit. And of course Underwood's signature vocal delivery wrings all the emotion out of an all-time-great power ballad.
Osbourne's 1992 single fared well in the shifting post-Nevermind rock landscape, cracking pop's Top 40. A co-write by Osbourne, Wylde and Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister, it remains one of mainstream metal's definitive ballads.
The Howard Stern appearance followed the announcement of new SiriusXM channel Carrie's Country, on which she'll spin favorites spanning multiple genres. Per a press release, "SiriusXM subscribers will hear music from Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, and Miranda Lambert to AC/DC, Guns N' Roses and the Rolling Stones." Carrie's Country debuts in June.
