It happened with k.d. lang; it happened with Amy Grant; and now it's happened with Holly Cole.
On her forthcoming album, Dark Dear Heart (due Oct. 21), the Toronto jazz chanteuse has gone pop.
"Holly's just evolved her sound from day-one," says Tom Berry, president of Alert Music, Cole's record label. "It's a more produced recording. It's all living writers. And the sound is much more of a contemporary pop sound."
Berry credits Grammy-award winning producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell's ex husband) for enabling the platinum-selling jazz singer to make the transition.
"He was perfect because he's a bass player first and a writer, and grew up and played in the jazz field for years and years and years, before, say, in the last 10 years, really starting to play in the contemporary pop sound, doing Shawn Colvin and Joni Mitchell," says Berry. "Holly wanted to evolve in that direction and wanted someone who understood where her roots were."
Cole, who has covered everyone from Tom Waits to Cole Porter on her jazz albums, chooses songs with the same discriminate ear on this pop record.
Dark Dear Heart, Cole's fifth studio album (her last release was a live recording, titled It Happened One Night), includes a cover of Joni Mitchell's "The River", plus two Mary Margaret O'Hara songs, "Run Run Run" and the title track.
The first single is a toss up between a brand new Sheryl Crow tune "You Want More" and an interpretation of The Beatles "I've Just Seen A Face".
Cole's long-time bandmates, pianist Aaron Davis and bassist David Piltch, also have a song apiece on the album, "Make It Go Away" and "The World Seems To Come And Go", respectively.
Dark Dear Heart will be released on Metro Blue-Capitol worldwide on Oct. 21, except for Japan which will go with the album a few weeks earlier. In Canada, Alert has changed major label distributors from EMI to A&M (as of Aug. 31).
Dark Dear Heart's track listing:
I've Just Seen A Face
Make It Go Away
Onion Girl
Dark Dear Heart
You Want More
Timbuktu
The World Seems To Come And Go
The River
Hold On
Run Run Run
I Told Them My Dog Wouldn't Run
All The Pretty Horses
