Pictured Eder does Garland. Suzanne Vega.
This fall marks an unprecedented season for our favorite female singers and musicians. Take your wig off the shelf, Dolly Parton is making a big return. The busty blonde reminds us of her talents on the appropriately titled Those Were the Days. The drag idol takes a turn from her recent bluegrass projects and puts her signature style on oldies like 'Turn Turn Turn,' 'Imagine,' and 'Crimson and Clover' by making them duets with the likes of Keith Urban, Norah Jones, Lee Ann Womack and Cat Stevens. The country icon has begun her Vintage Tour and has scheduled a stop at the Chicago Theater Friday, Oct. 28.
Judy Garland might be best remembered as Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz or for her troubled life, but Linda Eder lands on the other side of the rainbow with a collection of Garland signatures in part with the London Symphony Orchestra for her latest effort By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland. The Broadway veteran has select concert dates, some solely of Judy tunes, but it doesn't look like Eder will perform at New York's Carnegie Hall, where Garland had her legendary concert. [Later information: Linda Eder is scheduled to perform at Carnegie Hall on November 9, 2005.] Before tackling this project, Linda studied Garland's delivery and vocal techniques so she could salute her idol properly. Another reason to come on and get happy—per variety.com Eder might be returning to the Great White Way with a one-woman show.
As a precursor, Annie Lennox teased us with her collaboration 'Hush, Hush, Hush' from Herbie Hancock's Possibilities earlier this year. Alas, she is back with Dave Stewart for The Eurythmics Ultimate Collection due Nov. 8 via Arista. This retrospective features 17 songs covering the innovative duo's groundbreaking legacy and includes the new tracks 'I've Got a Life' and 'Was It Just Another Love Affair?' Lennox sports a suit and tie once again for the 'Life' video. Keep an eye out for DVDs of the pair's vintage videos, as well as imports of reissues of their catalogue and a boxed set. Now if only Annie would put together a hits package of her solo material.
Cyndi Lauper shows her 'true colors' with November's The Body Acoustic. Accompanied by musical guests like Ani DiFranco, Sarah McLachlan and Kelly Osbourne, the 'Time after Time' singer reconstructs her beloved material including 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,' 'Money Changes Everything' and 'Sisters of Avalon.' After the success of her standards album At Last and its tour, Cyndi made a cameo on Showtime's Queer as Folk and her song 'Shine ( The Babylon Mix ) ' appeared on the show's soundtrack Queer As Folk: The Fifth Season. Other remixes by Lauper surfaced this spring on her set Hey Now! Remixes and Rarities.
While working with reggae uber-producers Sly and Robbie on Throw Down Your Arms, Sinead O'Connor had a gay Irish journalist from the Independent spend three weeks with her in Kingston in an attempt to dispel homophobic rumors of the genre. Unfortunately, the shaved-head beauty cannot outlive her infamous 1992 Saturday Night Live incident. In a recent interview on a French talk show, Sinead was asked which type of pontiff she preferred, a Jamaican pope to a Polish or German pope. While wearing a priest's outfit, she coyly replied, 'it depends how they are cooked.' In promotion with her Rasta-flavored album, O'Connor is planning an extensive world tour, including a stop at the Riviera scheduled for Nov. 29.
Leave it to Modest Mouse to find the irony of mixing Suzanne Vega's vocals from her hit 'Tom's Diner' over the beats of Fifty Cent's 'In da Club.' The 'Luka' singer welcomes the remix, even allowing other artists to recreate their own masterpiece, similar to what DNA did for the Solitude Standing track to make it a radio staple more than a decade ago. The Modest Mouse remix is available for download through Vega's official Web site suzannevega.com . Additionally, Christopher Seufert's The Suzanne Vega Documentary by Mooncusser Films is currently in post-production.
Finally, Blondie is nominated for entry in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After making timeless music over the last 30 years, Blondie seems like a shoe-in, having fans from their unmistakable hybrid sound of disco, new wave, punk, '60s girl group pop and rock. The band is the only American act to have No. 1 singles in the U.K. in the '70s, '80s and '90s. With last year's concerts promoting the album The Curse of Blondie, Debbie Harry finally seemed comfortable in her own skin while delivering hits, as well as singing 'Pet Cemetery' in homage to the late Joey Ramone and cooing 'Rapture' over the beat of Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight.' Blondie remains humble, contributing to benefits and covering the works of their peers David Bowie, Donna Summer, and T-Rex. With four No. 1 hits in the U.S. under their belt, a slew of bands interpreting Blondie's material and DJs still turning their unforgettable material into amazing remixes, Blondie continues to show its influence on subsequent generations and definitely deserves a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
