Looking forward to a new year, a handful of new artist tributes have my inner "cover-crazy kid" smiling in anticipation.
Up first next month is Endless Highway on 429 Records, saluting The Band. Featuring John Hiatt, Joe Henry, Jack Johnson, The Roches, Gov't Mule, and the Allman Brothers, the album also includes a few younger contributors: Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Guster, and Gomez.
Nonesuch Records is prepping the simply titled A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, with a star-studded lineup of Prince, Sarah McLachlan, Sufjan Stevens, Bjork, Annie Lennox, Elvis Costello, James Taylor, k.d. lang, Cassandra Wilson, and Emmylou Harris.
Stax Records is set to relaunch this spring, with new albums from Angie Stone and original Stax star Isaac Hayes, but the label's first project will Interpretations, a tribute to the songs of Earth Wind & Fire's Maurice White. Artists on board include Stone, Chaka Khan, Meshell N'degeocello, Musiq Soulchild, and ?uestlove of The Roots.
One covers concept is in motion for a fall two-CD release: American Laundromat Records' Cinnamon Girl set, featuring women artists covering early Neil Young. The girls-on-boy collection will benefit Casting for Recovery, a breast-cancer-support and -education organization. Interested in participating? The label is making an open call for entries and suggestions for the project. It's also planning an upcoming tribute to the songs of Kim Deal of The Pixies, The Breeders, and The Amps.
Jimmy Guterman's labour of love for The Clash in The Sandinista Project has just wrapped up, with a March release date in mind for the two-CD song-by-song re-creation of the triple-LP classic from 1980. Some of the artists making the cut include Camper Van Beethoven, The Smithereens, Amy Rigby, The Coal Porters, Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers, Wreckless Eric, the Sex Clark Five, Willie Nile, Steve Wynn, and Jon Langford & Sally Timms.
On the hot list for January:
John Mellencamp - Freedom's Road (Universal) with guest Joan Baez
Diana Ross - I Love You (Manhattan/EMI) featuring covers of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You," the Beatles' "I Will," and Harry Nilsson's "Remember"
Ron Sexsmith - Time Being (Ironworks) new on the label formed by Keifer Sutherland and Jude Cole
The Smithereens - Meet the Smithereens (Koch) song-for-song re-creation of the Beatles' Meet the Beatles album
Tony Trischka - Double Banjo Bluegrass Special (Rounder) partnered with guests Earl Scruggs, Alison Brown, Bela Fleck, and comedian Steve Martin
John Waite - Downtown ... Journey of a Heart (Rounder) the return of The Babys' vocalist, with guest Alison Krauss on a new duet recording of his smash hit "Missing You"
On the hot list for February:
Jesse Malin - Glitter in the Gutter (Adeline/Warner Bros) with guests Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, Jakob Dylan, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, and Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters
Nine Inch Nails - Beside You in Time (Interscope) DVD of this past year's tour, also available in Blu-ray and high definition
Keller Williams - Dream (Sci Fidelity) with guests Bob Weir, Charlie Hunter, John Scofield, Victor Wooten, and The String Cheese Incident
Lucinda Williams - West (Lost Highway) with producer Hal Willner and guests Bill Frisell, Gary Louris of The Jayhawks, and Bob Dylan bassist Tony Garnier
On the hot list for March:
Bright Eyes - "Four Winds" (Saddle Creek) EP in advance of the upcoming Cassadega album with guests Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, Gillian Welch, and M. Ward
Garbage - Absolute Garbage (Warner Bros) greatest-hits collection with the promise of new bonus tracks
Grindermen - Grindermen (Mute) new from Nick Cave and members of his Bad Seeds
Eddie Money - Wanna Go Back (Warrior Records) it's back to the 1960s with new covers of San & Dave's "Hold On I'm Comin'," Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher," and a special duet with his 17-year-old daughter Jessica, on the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
Grant Lee Phillips - Strangelet (Zoe) with guest Peter Buck of R.E.M.
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy (Geffen) I'll believe it when I see it
The Stooges - The Weirdness (Virgin) with recording engineer Steve Albini at the helm, and bassist Mike Watt joining original members Iggy Pop and brothers Ron and Scott Asheton, the all-new album features guest vocalist Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs on "Free & Freaky"
Rosie Thomas - These Friends of Mine (Sing-a-Long/Nettwerk) with guest Sufjan Stevens and covers of Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird" and R.E.M.'s "The One I Love"
Tracey Thorn - Out of the Woods (Astralwerks) the first new music since 1999 from the Everything but the Girl co-founder
Mary Weiss - Dangerous Game (Norton) debut solo album from the former member of the Shangri-Las, backed by the Reigning Soul
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes The Wreckers tonight and Paulina Rubio on Thursday; The Late Show with David Letterman rings out the month with The Decemberists on Thursday and Robert Randolph & the Family Band on Friday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts John Mayer on Thursday overnight, Wilco on Friday overnight, The Subways on Monday overnight, and Gov't Mule on Tuesday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson presents Jewel on Friday overnight and Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave fame) on Monday overnight; Jimmy Kimmel Live features Peter Frampton this evening overnight, Beck on Friday overnight, and My Chemical Romance on Tuesday overnight; and Austin City Limits' musical guests this weekend are The Raconteurs and Cat Power.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, January 2:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
Carly Simon - Into Whiter (Columbia) lullaby collection with covers of the title track by Cat Stevens, and classics "Over the Rainbow" and "Oh, Susannah"
U2 - "Window in the Skies" (Interscope) DVD single featuring David Bowie
