Tori Amos' new album, Strange Little Girls, will be comprised entirely of cover songs originally recorded by males. Due Sept. 18, Amos' reinterpretation of these songs will show how their meanings change when preformed by a woman.
"I've always found it fascinating how men say things and women hear them," says Amos to Billboard.com .
Each song will be performed by a "character"created by Amos; Photographs of these characters will be a part of the Strange Little Girls CD packaging. Amos will launch a U.S. tour to support the new album, which will feature the singer performing without a backing band, the first time since her 1994 tour.
Some songs included on the 12-track LP include "Enjoy the Silence" ( Depeche Mode ) "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" ( Eminem ) "I'm Not in Love" ( 10cc ) and "Heart of Gold" ( Neil Young ) .
Look for Capitol Records to re-issue Blondie's first six albums on Sept. 11. Each remastered disc will reportedly feature previously unreleased material:. Look for B-sides such as "Scenery" and"Poet's Problem," as well as the long version of "Call Me," originally housed on the American Gigolo soundtrack, and a "special dance mix" of "Rapture."
Aphex Twin has completed work on it's new studio album, titled DRUKQS. An exact release date for the 30-track double album has not been announced but it is expected to hit store shelves sometime in October of this year.
Moby's Play: The DVD is scheduled for a mid-July release and will feature a pastiche of Play remixes used for singles, as well as an interactive function that will allow users to remix the songs themselves. A home movie included on the DVD and shot by the bald-one himself, titled "Give an Idiot a Camcorder," shows 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of the world tour supporting the best-selling record.
Mary J. Blige has announced plans to revive the trio Mary Jane Girls, according to Sonicnet.com . "People can look forward to seeing a mixture [ of females ] said Blige, who will reportedly use the same concept as Rick James' former proteges. "Black, Chinese, White- [ they're ] gonna be really pretty, sexy and young. But old enough to put sexy clothes on them." Blige said she plans to hold auditions for the group with the help of radio station promos around the country.
Bjork's first single off of her new upcoming album, Vespertine, is titled "Hidden Place," and will be released Aug. 6 on two CDs and DVD; both will feature other new tracks such as "Generous Palmstroke," "Verandi" and "Mother Heroic." About her new album, Bjork has had this to say: "Vespertine was influenced by my laptop, and about people being obsessed with Napster and saying it compromised sound and me thinking that was
rubbish. A lot of the beats were influenced by me thinking someone could download it and it would sound great."
Bonus Item: Buried within a recent column, the Village Voice's Michael Musto announced that Junior Vasquez has found a new residence now that the gay super-club Twilo has been put to pasture. The name of the bar? Exit.
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