Instantly recognizable from the minute the needle drops, Ultra Naté’s smooth-as-silk cover of The Bee Gees classic ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ is finally seeing the light of day as a standalone streaming single on Strictly Rhythm.
The 1998 cover, first released as part of The Bee Gees tribute album ‘Gotta Get A Message To You’ (Polydor), then on Ultra’s critically acclaimed 2001 Strictly Rhythm LP ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ as an international CD-only bonus track, has never been available digitally before. The single marks the latest in a run of retrospective tracks influential imprint Strictly Rhythm will drop across 2025 to celebrate their relationship with Ultra Naté over two iconic album cycles between 1998 and 2001.
The original single and cover both carried great personal significance for Ultra. She tells the story of the project here: “From my earliest recollection, The Bee Gees were part of my teenage music lexicon. The Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack was not lost on me, I LOVED that album! My mother had it in her collection (which I coveted) and it was one of my faves to play over and over again.
Fast forward many years later, as an artist myself in the midst of chart success from ‘Free,’ heavy touring, and writing/recording for my next album project, ‘Stranger Than Fiction,’ I was asked to be a part of The Bee Gees ‘Gotta Get A Message To You’ tribute album, in aid of ‘Live Challenge 99’. It was a huge honor to be a part of this album. At the time, the artists chosen to contribute to the record were top contemporary artists in the UK (Steps, Boyzone, Robbie Williams & The Orb, Lightning Seeds).
“Beyond the cachet, the project checked all my boxes – a group I loved, a tribute album being put together by their label to honor them, and it was for charitable projects benefiting children and young people including projects to benefit those who are disadvantaged and homeless. Sign me up!”
Lush piano chords, shimmering strings, warm guitars and Ultra’s vocal sailing across the delicate disco production, ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ is a sumptuous musical affair that comes just in time for Valentine’s Day. Original producer and frequent collaborators D-Influence (‘New Kind Of Medicine’, ‘Twisted’) handled production and arrangement duties for this faithful and now re-mastered version of the perennial classic.
Sure to be a hit across radio and playlists as the planet’s most romantic day dawns, it’s another reminder of just how timeless Ultra Naté has become. With a career that spans over three decades, ten albums, countless singles, and constant live performances around the world, Ultra has proven herself one of the most legendary singer-songwriters in electronic and soul music. As she starts off 2025 with her take on ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, she opens up another year sure to be crammed with productions to delight fans new and old.
‘How Deep Is Your Love’ is available here