Annie Lennox Wields Songs Of 'Destruction'

Billboard.com

July 18, 2007, 10:40 AM ET

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

 

As tipped here in March, Annie Lennox's first studio album in four years, "Songs of Mass Destruction," will arrive in the fall. Due Oct. 2 via Arista, the set was produced by Glen Ballard, who previously told Billboard.com, "It's a very intense record. It's very personal to her. We spent a lot of time making sure the music was the way she wanted it."

 

Among the songs confirmed to appear on the album are "Fingernail Moon," "Dark Road" and "Sing," the latter of which was inspired by Lennox's work with Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign to curb the spread of AIDS.

 

"Sing" sports contributions from 23 superstar female vocalists, including Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Dido, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Shakira, Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight, Pink, Fergie, Melissa Etheridge and KT Tunstall, among others.

 

The former Eurythmics vocalist's previous set, "Bare" (J Records), debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 in June 2003.

 

Lennox has yet to confirm tour dates but will appear Aug. 15 at a special performance with the BBC Concert Orchestra at London's Mermaid Theatre.

 

Are any of you going to be interested in buying this album?

So one single song "Sing" has 23 guest vocalists?! :wacko:

to have entirely wiped every shred of credibilty she once had by working with people as vapid, dull and downright beneath her as Sealion Dijon and Fergie..... it's over for Annie.

 

In reality the last truly great recording she made was the Eurythmic's 'Savage' album..... Diva was patchy, Medusa was just awful and Bare is quite possibly one of the most depressing, drab and self indulgent bodies of work I've ever had the misfortune to own.

 

Her voice, too, is simply not what it was.

 

Pains me to say it..... but I'll be avoiding this like the plague. Songs of Mass Indifference morelike.

"In addition to being an incredibly successful artist, Annie is a

celebrated activist and humanitarian. The new album features the soaring

and powerful feminist anthem 'Sing', born out of Annie's involvement with

Nelson Mandela's 46664 and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) -- organizations

fighting for human rights, education and health care for those affected by

the HIV AIDS virus. The track 'Sing' features 23 of the most recognized and

successful female solo artists in the world, invited by Annie, to raise

awareness and finances for TAC initiatives. Included among the group are

superstars such as Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Fergie, Faith

Hill, Pink, Dido, Gladys Knight, kd Lang, Angelique Kidjo, Bonnie Raitt,

Shakira, Melissa Etheridge, Anastasia, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall and many

others, as well as TAC activist members own vocal group known as 'The

Genetics', whose CD of music inspired Annie to make 'Sing' a reality"

isn't it a shame Ms Lennox didn't deem more homegrown stars worthy of a placement on her album? KT Tunstall, Dido and Joss Stone are the only Brits. The rest, apart from McLachlan and kd lang, are chromically bland US drivel.

to have entirely wiped every shred of credibilty she once had by working with people as vapid, dull and downright beneath her as Sealion Dijon and Fergie..... it's over for Annie.

 

In reality the last truly great recording she made was the Eurythmic's 'Savage' album..... Diva was patchy, Medusa was just awful and Bare is quite possibly one of the most depressing, drab and self indulgent bodies of work I've ever had the misfortune to own.

 

Her voice, too, is simply not what it was.

 

Pains me to say it..... but I'll be avoiding this like the plague. Songs of Mass Indifference morelike.

 

See I disagree on some of the points. Diva was a tad patchy yes, but for every dull or plain odd moment (Keep Young And Beautiful, Legend In My Living Room, The Gift), there was an absolute gem (Little Bird, Why, Precious).

However I thought a lot of the covers on Medusa were gorgeous, and I've always loved what she did with A Whiter Shade Of Pale.

Bare did have it's depressing moments yes, and the little passage on the back of the CD cover really wasn't necessary, but near the end of the CD it does pick up. I loved Erased, Twisted and Loneliness.

Diva was a tad patchy yes, but for every dull or plain odd moment (Keep Young And Beautiful, Legend In My Living Room, The Gift), there was an absolute gem (Little Bird, Why, Precious).

However I thought a lot of the covers on Medusa were gorgeous, and I've always loved what she did with A Whiter Shade Of Pale.

 

The only tracks I loved on Diva were Why, Cold, Precious and Keep Young and Beautiful... hated Little Bird.

 

And Medusa... hmm... Whiter Shade of Pale, to my ears, was horrible.... and she can't ever be forgiven for destroying the classic 'No More I Love You's' by the wonderful Lover Speaks (check the original - it's incredible).

 

Bare I can't even listen to - it makes Leonard Cohen sound like Captain Sensible :cry:

Bare I can't even listen to - it makes Leonard Cohen sound like Captain Sensible :cry:

 

when i think of Annie Lennox i think of an old 50+ woman moaning for about an hour, is this what your getting at mate???

 

quite bizarre to see this thread also posted in pop with all the S Club 7 and High School Musical threads

the cover is amazing !

 

LifeLight

it looks to me like the poor woman's had a rather pungent reaction to her vindaloo ;)

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/russy68/anniel.jpg

I really like it

here's the microsite for the album:

http://www.songs-of-mass-destruction.com/main.html

To think three years ago you could had a really good discussion between who was the greatest female icon between Annie Lennox v Kate Bush, but Annie Lennox seems to have completely lost it with the dodgy covers album (excluding the fantastic No More I Love You's - what a cover is all about making famous a song that should have been huge when originally released), then the unlistenable Bare and now this new album which if the lead single "Dark Road" is anything to go by is going to be a very commercial, yet dull sounding album that makes Dido seem like Fiona Apple in comparison.

The Perez Hilton site has got the track from the album with the multitudes of (very boring) singers... 'Sing' - it's utterly painful listening.

 

Whilst Dark Road is bland - it isn't totally bad - but Sing...oh my, it's shocking. And I'm dubious about Annie's statement about the song, about it celebrating femininity and female empowerment.... it all seems rather Americanised and nothing but a cynical marketing ploy to me. Surely, instead of using dross like Celine Dion and Anastacia - why not use great homegrown talent? Eddi Reader, Alison Moyet, Elizabeth Fraser, Kate Bush.... why are almost all the female singers American and MOR?

 

Can this really be the same woman who gave us I Need A Man, Beethoven, Julia, Love is a Stranger? :(

She is on Radio 2 tonight at 8PM with a one hour live set including showcasing the new album.

 

But Radio 2 played from the showcase her singing "Walking On Broken Glass" and it sounded dreadful, too many Americanisms in her vocals, and the backing band with an orchestra sounded bland, flat & uninspired.

 

I'm very sad to say this but creatively she sounds like she has lost it.

The Perez Hilton site has got the track from the album with the multitudes of (very boring) singers... 'Sing' - it's utterly painful listening.

 

Whilst Dark Road is bland - it isn't totally bad - but Sing...oh my, it's shocking. And I'm dubious about Annie's statement about the song, about it celebrating femininity and female empowerment.... it all seems rather Americanised and nothing but a cynical marketing ploy to me. Surely, instead of using dross like Celine Dion and Anastacia - why not use great homegrown talent? Eddi Reader, Alison Moyet, Elizabeth Fraser, Kate Bush.... why are almost all the female singers American and MOR?

 

Can this really be the same woman who gave us I Need A Man, Beethoven, Julia, Love is a Stranger? :(

*Ahem* :lol: She's alot more talented then most females who are featured on there, i.e. Joss Stone who wobbles out a few pointless notes somewhere in the song.

 

The song is a bit boring, the 23-plus featured 'diva's' where a bit pointless, they just fill up a choir. Should of been stuck as Annie feat. Madonna.

To think three years ago you could had a really good discussion between who was the greatest female icon between Annie Lennox v Kate Bush, but Annie Lennox seems to have completely lost it with the dodgy covers album (excluding the fantastic No More I Love You's - what a cover is all about making famous a song that should have been huge when originally released),

why not use great homegrown talent? Eddi Reader, Alison Moyet, Elizabeth Fraser, Kate Bush.... why are almost all the female singers American and MOR?

 

I think a comparison between Annie Lennox and Andy Bell (not the one out of Oasis obv :lol:) is probably better. both are quite similar (erythmics and erasure) as both vocalist seem to do a lot of that soulful* emoting on a lot of tragic torch songs rather than making a lot of happy pop records (which they might have dont in the past) however annies records much more old woman moaning effect than vince and andy's.

 

 

 

*not as in r&b sense as in from the soul, however that record with aretha franklin has been on the hits, so like whatever