Annie Lennox / NOSTALGIA

[Carlitoz]

Nostalgia Track Listing

1. Memphis in June
2. Georgia on My Mind
3. I Cover the Waterfront
4. Summertime
5. I Put a Spell on You
6. Strange Fruit
7. God Bless the Child
8. September in the Rain
9. You Belong to Me
10. I Can Dream, Can't I
11. The Nearness of You
12. Mood Indigo


Thank you areyoureadytojump for the hitsdailydouble news in my old thread! Thanks Nick for letting me know. The track listing and cover above came from Billboard.
www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/newsPage.cgi?news10013m01

LOOKING FORWARD,LOOKING BACK
Annie Lennox Previews Her Upcoming Blue Note Release, Nostalgia, in Hollywood

August 13, 2014

Annie Lennox is getting ready to release her sixth solo, full-length studio album, Nostalgia, via Blue Note/Capitol.

The soul sovereign and former Eurythmics singer previewed six songs last night at Hollywood Forever Cemetery’s Masonic Lodge for a private listening party. CMG constituents present included ruler Steve Barnett, Greg Thompson, Don Was, Danny Lockwood and John Bowen, along with Clear Channel’s John Ivey and iTunes’ Jay Lepis.

Was made the opening statement, describing the approach he and Lennox took to this set of thoughtfully reworked covers. While noting that no drop date has yet been confirmed, the esteemed producer/exec did hint that it would first be released on vinyl.

Amid a sea of twinkling candles, the vinyl’s Side A was played on an old-school phonograph, which perfectly bounced the songs off the venerable building’s masonry walls and pitched ceilings.

Renderings included Hoagy Carmicheal’s “Memphis in June,” Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind,” Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You,” Gershwin’s “Summertime,” “I Cover the Waterfront,” made popular by Billie Holiday, and Holiday’s “Strange Fruit.”

Greeted with a standing ovation, Lennox sat for an interview with Rolling Stone contributor Anthony DeCurtis, who remarked, “One of the things that struck me is that it seems like you approached them as if they’ve never been sung before.”

She explained that she wasn’t really a jazz buff and didn’t carry the aforementioned songs around with her over the course of her life, so there was a freshness to them that helped personalize the album and give it relevancy.

“The challenge was to take it back, own it and bring the life into it” without listening to every single variation of a tune, Lennox noted. “This album does not use music to hearken back to days gone by. It takes songs we all know and brings them to the present, making them relevant.” Those who heard the evening's selections had to agree.

The effervescent personality quipped, “I’m a woman going into my sixth decade and I want to make music. You know, I don’t want to twerk, but I want to stay relevant. If you twerk, you’re relevant, right? I suppose I could twerk, but I don’t think anyone would enjoy that.”

She also noted the intentional choice of previewing it at the cemetery, explaining that being there highlighted the impermanence and fleeting quality of things, while elucidating the power of lasting energy that music provides. “The human experience, the pain and loneliness is found in these songs.”

By viewing the selections through her own perspective, like seeing “I Put a Spell on You” as an anthem for women’s vindication, due to her tireless work in South Africa against gender-based violence, Lennox shows that these songs, while structurally the same, can be made contextually and spiritually new.

[Carlitoz]

To be honest, I was expecting that after such a long wait she would come up with new original songs. But at this point I take this. :) ANYTHING!!! I've liked her so much since the 80s.
And these quotes have awaken my curiosity for sure!
“One of the things that struck me is that it seems like you approached them as if they’ve never been sung before.”
"...It takes songs we all know and brings them to the present, making them relevant.”

I really really hope it's a very original and different approach and it doesn't turn into YET another standards album in the market. Those songs are SO well known!!

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

I am looking forward to her new album, even if it's covers. I am especially curious about "I Put A Spell On You" as I am fond of that song in the Nina Simone and Sonique recordings.

[Carlitoz]

A new article about the album.
billboard


Exclusive: Annie Lennox Talks Return to Music With 'Nostalgia' Album, Reveals Cover, Track List & More
By Andrew Hampp | August 14, 2014 9:45 AM EDT

Annie Lennox is taking a trip back.

Nostalgia, her first non-holiday album in seven years, is a collection of the iconic singer's impassioned takes on standards primarily from the 1930s and 1940s, many of them popularized by the likes of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Jo Stafford and Louis Armstrong.

The album was produced by her longtime collaborator Mike Stevens, and finds Lennox at her most soulful, bringing levels of depth and warmth to songs that primarily originated from the civil-rights era.

And to give the lushly arranged album the appropriately intimate treatment, Blue Note/Capitol will issue Nostalgia as a three-week vinyl exclusive starting Sept. 30, before distributing on digital and physical formats on Oct. 21. An international release date, via Island Records, is expected to be announced shortly.

Lennox tells Billboard that Nostalgia is the result of hours spent on YouTube perusing vintage recordings and video performances of songs from the Great American Songbook, particularly those rooted in the blues. "I was just curious, I thought, 'I wonder what my voice would be like. Would these songs suit my voice?' It was like a little challenge," Lennox says. "I just sort of got to know them, became friends with them really and had a great deal of joy in the process."

Billboard can also exclusively premiere the album's cover and track listing, which includes three songs penned by Hoagy Carmichael -- "Memphis In June," "Georgia On My Mind" and "The Nearness Of You" -- as well as selections from Johnny Green ("I Cover The Waterfront"), George Gershwin ("Summertime"), Screamin' Jay Hawkins ("I Put A Spell On You"), Billie Holiday ("Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child"), Harry Warren and Al Dubin ("September In The Rain"), Pee Wee King ("You Belong To Me"), Sammy Fain ("I Can Dream, Can't I") and Duke Ellington ("Mood Indigo.")

The album was previewed for an intimate crowd Tuesday night at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, where Lennox was introduced by her new Blue Note label boss Don Was. In a lengthy Q&A with the audience, and in speaking with Billboard, it's clear that Lennox took a hands-on approach with her return to music. "I made my choices intuitively. I didn’t go to somebody and ask them to find me 30 songs. Once you invite them in, it becomes a part of your language -- very personal. There’s an alchemy in it."

Although Lennox released an album of contemporary covers in 1995, Medusa, she insists that Nostalgia is not the same concept. "I think of it as interpretations of songs that are part of a classic songbook, so it's a very hallowed ground in a way. You don't go to these songs lightly."

Lennox has only done a smattering of live dates since her 2007 tour in support of Songs of Mass Destruction, but she says she'd "love to" do some performances in support of Nostalgia -- but not too much.

"The thing is, at this point in time, less is more for me. I'm more about quality than quantity, and I think this is quite a niche place to be. I like that I found this little area of music that's gentle and I feel introspective. It's not something that you just kind of hear in the back -- it kind of takes you, it transports you. It makes you feel something -- it's very emotive in a way."

Nostalgia Track Listing

1. Memphis in June
2. Georgia on My Mind
3. I Cover the Waterfront
4. Summertime
5. I Put a Spell on You
6. Strange Fruit
7. God Bless the Child
8. September in the Rain
9. You Belong to Me
10. I Can Dream, Can't I
11. The Nearness of You
12. Mood Indigo

[Deleted]

I'm excited that it will be released on vinyl. <3

[Nick]

Looking forward to this!

[bat1990]

This woman continues to be the musician I respect the most. I shall be purchasing the vinyl, especially since I now have a record player!!

[So Pure]

"Diva" is an underrated classic! I've been a fan since Sweet Dreams. She remains a consummate artist. Can't wait for this release!

[Nick]

Annie Lennox Teases Retirement, Is 'Freaked Out' by Celebrity


www.rollingstone.com/music/news/annie-lennox-teases-retirement-is-freaked-out-by-celebrity-20140909

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

"I Put A Spell On You" is the first single.

From Annie's Facebook page:
"Psssssst ... UK peeps might wanna tune into BBC Radio 2 on Monday morning You may also then want to head over to www.annielennox.com around noon."

[Envoirment]

Looking forward to this, in particular her versions of "Summertime" & "God Bless The Child".

[SHOOTER]

October 21st.

[Nick]

"Georgia On My Mind" :

[Nick]

"Summertime":

[newpower]

Her recent interview with Larry King is excellent.

[davidmusiclover]

Please email them, it only takes 2 minutes and if we all do it we can make it happen.

[SHOOTER]

Projected to debut with 24-27k.

***

Diva debuted at #23 and has sold 2.7m to date.

Medusa debuted at #11 with 73k (1.9m to date).

Bare debuted at #4 with 153k (834k to date).

Songs of Mass Destruction debuted at #9 with 78k (280k to date).

[Nick]

Annie Lennox 'Thrilled and Delighted' to Have No. 1 Jazz Album


Annie Lennox lands her first No. 1 on the Jazz Albums chart, as her new release, Nostalgia, grabs the top slot. The set -- which features interpretations of such tunes as "Summertime," "I Put a Spell On You," "Strange Fruit" and "Memphis in June" -- also debuts at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, her first top 10 since 2007.

(More here)

www.billboard.com/articles/6304107/annie-lennox-no-1-jazz-album-response

[SHOOTER]

^Debuts with 32k.

[Nick]

So far best performance of the night at The Grammys. Annie and Hozier killed it!

[Deleted]

Her voice has held up incredibly.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

Feb 8, 2015 21:56:55 GMT -5 @jazzysoul47 said:

Her voice has held up incredibly.

It's truly remarkable how she has retained so much of her voice even after all these years.

[Carlitoz]

She was simply AMAZING!

[bat1990]

Hands down, the vocalist I have always respected the most. *applause* for Annie. Please don't retire!!!!!

[Hurricane Lee]

Best performance of the night, I think.

[Kishi KCM]

She stole the show for me. Turned up!

[Hurricane Lee]

Oh wait...that version is on 50 Shades of Gray soundtrack? I guess I know what I will be buying tomorrow!

[George]

I wonder if she'll be getting a boost in album sales?

[SHOOTER]

Feb 10, 2015 14:36:03 GMT -5 George said:

I wonder if she'll be getting a boost in album sales?

It re-entered the top-20 on iTunes.

[The Upper Hand]