It’s hard to believe that singer/songwriter Paula Cole hasn’t had a charting single since 1999, but that’s the truth. her last charting single was 1999’s “I Believe In Love” off of her album Amen. Granted, #112 isn’t anything spectacular, considering “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone” hit #8 and “I Don’t Want To Wait” peaked at #11 but still. Where has this talented lady been hiding? Ok, OK. This isn’t really a fair assessment. Just because she hasn’t appeared on the pop charts, does NOT mean she hasn’t been busy. After releasing Amen, Cole went on a nearly decade-long hiatus from music before coming back with 2007’s Courage. Courage saw Cole pursue a different musical style than fans might have been used to, going in a decidedly more jazzy-folk sound. Courage was also Cole’s Decca/Universal debut, and while it only managed to peak at #163 her label didn’t drop her.
Now, three years later Paula Cole is getting ready to release a new album on Decca/Universal. Called Ithaca, the album, Cole’s fifth, was written entirely by Cole (with the exception one song, which she co-wrote with Kevin Barry). Ithaca was produced by Kevin Killen who previously worked with Cole on her debut, Harbinger. What’s the new record about? Well, according to Cole in a Washington Post interview last year, the new album “represents that inner fortitude and the journey I’ve been on.”
“Cole takes listeners on an intensely emotional, yet uplifting journey through divorce (“The Hard Way,” “P.R.E.N.U.P”) and the struggle to recover one’s identity (“Elegy,” “Waiting on a Miracle”) before allowing herself to revel in the healing, redemptive power of new love (“Sex,” “Come on Inside”). Along the way, she acknowledges being torn between work and her daughter (“Somethin’ I’ve Gotta Say”), and ultimately celebrates having music to get her through it all (“Music In Me”).
I’m really interested to hear Cole’s new material. It’s been FAR too long since she’s graced us with her presence. Ithaca is due out on September 21st. The first single, titled “Music In Me” will be released on August 17th.
Tracklisting:
- The Hard Way
- P.R.E.N.U.P.
- Music in Me
- Elegy
- Come on Inside
- Waiting on a Miracle
- Violet Eyes
- Somethin’ I’ve Gotta Say
- Sex
- 2 Lifetimes
