Allison Moorer - Mockingbird While critics are gushing over Cat Power's recent all-covers collection Jukebox, my pick for the cover-girl showdown is this coming Tuesday's release of Mockingbird by Allison Moorer. Opening up with the album's only original (and title track), 11 covers of songs by women fill out the lady-power salute, even slipping in to Cat Power's own "Where Is My Love." Plucking from the songbook of the greatest women songwriters, selections range from Patti Smith's "Dancing Barefoot" to Gillian Welch's "Revelator" to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." Recorded in a breezy week at producer Buddy Miller's Dogtown Studio, highlights also include Ma Rainey's "Daddy, Goodbye Blues" (featuring Moorer's husband, Steve Earle, on roots guitar) and the enraptured pine of Nina Simone's "I Want a Little Sugar In My Bowl."

The covers caravan continues next week with the return of Taylor Dayne and Intention Music's Satisfied CD. Three covers grace the set: the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge," Des'ree's "Kissing You," and one I pray she doesn't mangle much: the Rolling Stones' "Fool to Cry."

On the horizon, look out for Fearless Records' upcoming Punk Goes Crunk tribute set with The Devil Wears Prada, New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, and Person L (featuring Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line), and Gnomosong Records' spring release of Vetiver's all-covers album with takes on Hawkwind's "Hurry On Sundown," Norman Greenbaum's "Hook & Ladder," and Townes Van Zandt's "Standing."

A Nirvana documentary that caught a lot of buzz with its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival two years ago is getting the DVD treatment from Shout Factory next week. Kurt Cobain: About a Son was compiled from more than 25 hours of interviews with Michael Azerrad, researching his book Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. The film features an original score by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and a variety of Cobain's favorite bands.

 

Television Alert

 

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Willie Nelson on Thursday and Lifehouse on Friday; The Late Show with David Letterman boasts Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings on Monday and Ray Davies on Tuesday; The Ellen DeGeneres Show snuggles up with hopeless romantic Bret Michaels tomorrow morning; Late Night with Conan O'Brien presents Simple Plan this evening overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson hosts North Mississippi Allstars this evening, Wyclef Jean on Monday, and Dweezil Zappa on Tuesday overnight; and Tavis Smiley talks with Grammy Award winner Herbie Hancock on Friday and David Crosby on Tuesday.

 

New Releases Coming Tuesday, February 19:

 

3 - The End Is Begun (Metal Blade) expanded reissue from last year, featuring a bonus DVD and a new cover of Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play"

American Music Club - The Golden Age (Merge) all new from Marc Eitzel backed by members of the Larks

Apes - Ghost Games (Gypsy Eyes) with new vocalist Breck Brunson

Arson Anthem - Arson Anthem (Housecore) on Phil Anselmo's artist-owned label, the former Pantera guitarist is joined by III, Mike Williams, and Collin Yeo on this "supergroup" debut EP

Ascension of the Watchers - Numinosum (13th Planet) with Ministry's Al Jourgensen and Killing Joke's Paul Raven

Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (Kranky) new from Deerhunter's Bradford Cox

Al Basile - The Tinge (Sweetspot) cool new blues from the famed trumpeter who's graced most of Duke Robillard's albums

Bell X1 - Flock (Yep Roc) domestic release of this huge Irish smash, made up of former members of Damien Rice's original band, Juniper, packed with bonus live videos, remixes, and the animated clip "Rocky Took a Lover"

Chicago 10 - original motional picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) with music by Merle Haggard, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, Black Sabbath, and Billy Preston

Cryptacize - Dig That Treasure (Asthmatic Kitty) harmonious, playful debut from Chris Cohen of the Curtains and Nedelle Torrisi

Ray Davies - Working Man's Café (Ammal/New West) clever, laid-back delights from the Kinks co-founder, recorded in Nashville, featuring the "Morphine Song," written while the singer was recovering from a gunshot wound in New Orleans; also available on 180-gram audiophile vinyl and deluxe CD/DVD package

Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious (ATO/RCA) new solo album from the Soul Coughing beatnik featuring "More Bacon Than the Pan Can Handle," recently wrapping up his audience-involved Question Jar Show Tour

The Exit Strategy - City of Microphones (One Percent Press) produced and engineered by J Robbins, who also shakes a little tambourine

Foot Foot - Trumpet (Aagoo Records) psychedelic folk meets California-canyon alternative country

Anthony Gomes - Live (Ruf Records) featuring the guitarist's stranglehold of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker"

The Hands - The Hands (Selector Sound) yoo-whoo high-energy debut from Olympia, Washington, whipping it up like Mick Jagger fronting the Bottle Rockets

Health - "Perfect Skin" (Suicide Squeeze) the first seven-inch single in the label's new monthly singles-only series, with future audio trickles promised from Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Coathangers, and School of Seven Bells

Kingdom of Sorrow - Kingdom of Sorrow (Relapse) new side project from Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed and Crowbar/Down guitarist Kirk Windstein

Kula Shaker - Strangefolk (Cooking Vinyl) hair-raising return of Crispian Mills' brilliant Brit-pop groove machine, further elevated by the Hammond-organ jam of Harry Broadbent

Gary Louris - Vagabonds (Rykodisc) solo debut from The Jayhawks founder, with harmony vocals by Susanna Hoffs, Jenny Lewis, and Chris Robinson

LoungeClash - Dread Time Story (Warlock) new chill-out dub exotica from TransGlobal underground's Neil Sparkes and Loop Guru's Sam Dodson

Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool (Yep Roc) 30th-anniversary edition featuring seven bonus tracks and both the UK and stateside versions of the four-star album; more exclusive freebies come with the label's MP3 release or the limited-edition LP vinyl

Matinee Club - The Modern LP (Ninth Wave) featuring a cover of David Bowie's "Modern Love"

Monade - Monstre Cosmic (Too Pure) new from Stereolab vocalist Laetitia Sadier

Morcheeba - Dive Deep (G&G/Echo) with guest vocalists Thomas Dybdahl, Judie Tzuke, and Cool Calm Pete, the album features "The Edge Beyond the Ledge," inspired by a Bill Hicks comedic riff on Keith Richards, and a cover of John Martyn's "Run Honey Run"

Morrissey - Greatest Hits (Polydor) import-only CD, featuring three live bonus tracks and the new single "That's How People Grow Up"

The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride (4AD) featuring guests Jon Wuster of Superchunk and Annie Clark of St. Vincent, and cryptic song titles "Marduk T-Shirt Men's Room Incident" and "Michael Myers Resplendent"

Paint It Black - New Lexicon (Jade Tree) packing 15 songs into 30 minutes with new drummer Jared Shavelson and guest Jeff Pezati of Naked Raygun

Tom Paxton - Comedians & Angels (Appleseed) with guest Nanci Griffith on "How Beautiful the Mountain"

The Raveonettes - Lust, Lust, Lust (Vice) fuzzy, sexy, slow-motion grind in this domestic issue with two bonus tracks

Danny Schmidt - Little Grey Sheep (Waterbug Records) fourth album from the Austin, Texas, singer/songwriter, featuring beautiful, eerie cover photography by Efrain Guerrero

Seven Mary Three - Day & Night Driving (Bellum/Icon)

Donita Sparks & the Stellar Moments - Transmiticate (SparksFly/Wax Tadpole) new from the L7 vocalist

Tad - Busting Circuits & Ringing Ears (MVD) 93-minute documentary DVD, interviewing ground-zero grunge peers Chad Channing, Kim Thayil, Marc Arm, and Krist Novoselic

Billy Vera - Hopeless Romantic: The Best of Billy Vera (Shout! Factory) featuring "At This Moment," the number-one hit that topped the pop, country, and R&B charts in 1986, and a cover of Percy Mayfield's "Strange Things Happening"

various artists - Euro Groove (Putumayo) globe-hopping electronica with the UK's Chumbawamba, France's Mouss et Hakim, and Spain's Guateque All Stars

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