Keeping Up With Ms. Jones

During a recent night spent surfing the Internet, I happily discovered that singer-songwriter Joan Jones has a new album on the horizon.

Womenfolk mentioned Ms. Jones over three years ago, but the prospect of a new album certainly deserves a revisit to this fantastic songwriter.

To those uninformed, Jones’ biggest splash in the music industry arguably came in the form of the music group, Sun 60, a rock-oriented band who from 1991 to 1996, released three well-received albums. After they disbanded, Jones took time to write material for her first solo album, Starlite Criminal, which arrived in 1998.

Starlite Criminal received fantastic reviews, many praising Jones incredible songwriting talents and memorable songs, but sadly, the album sold miserably.

It was shortly after that, that Jones nearly fell off my radar completely. It would be years later that I would discover that her official site, Club Joan, had additional albums for sale. Among them, Atlanta Sessions, an album featuring many new songs never heard elsewhere. In 2002, Velvet Underdog was released.

I try to move ahead
Keep my voice just above a whisper
So I can feel the one thing that’s real
              - Joan Jones

Through all of her releases, Jones has kept a fairly low profile and with the exception of her official site, it’s very difficult to find her albums. But they’re so worth the search.

Brown Blonde is Jones’ latest album of new material, released by Circle Back Music. Not much has been said about the album, but it will contain ten songs, including a gorgeous piano version of ‘Everyday Down,’ a song originally found on Starlite Criminal. Scheduled for release on September 4, Circle Back Music promises the album will be made available through their web site before its street date.

Joan Jones will no doubt embark on a tour to support Brown Blonde. Check back as Womenfolk will post dates as soon as they become available.

Downloads:

	Joan Jones - Pick Up My Guitar From the album Brown Blonde
	Joan Jones - Always From the album Brown Blonde

	Joan Jones - Impossible From the album Velvet Underdog

	Joan Jones - Cashin’ In From the album Starlite Criminal

WWW:

Club Joan - The official site.
Circle Back Music - Joan Jones’ section at Circle Back Music
Joan Jones @ MySpace

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