By Myki Angeline
Singer-songwriter Paula Cole has released her second single from her much anticipated album, Ballads which will hit the store shelves Aug 11 on 675 Records.
“Ode To Billy Joel” was originally released in 1967 by Bobbie Gentry, and is one of many classic hits covered by Cole on Ballads. A double album filled with jazz and folk standards, showcases her jazz vocalist roots and includes songs by artists such as: Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, John Coltrane, Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone and of course, Bobbie Gentry.
Listen to “Ode To Billy Joel” here: soundcloud.com/675records/ode-to-billy-joe
In an interview, Cole told Rolling Stone Country, “‘Ode to Billy Joe’ belongs in the canon of American standards, amongst the classics. The story is a mystery, leaving you with questions about Billy Joe McAllister and his girlfriend, and the culture of denial over the course of a Southern family’s country supper. Bobbie Gentry was a writer, guitar-playing singer and interestingly, a self-producer. As a woman of the Sixties in the American South, this was a rare and often overlooked aspect of her genius.”
Ballads is available for pre-sale here: paulacole.com/store/
Cole reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997 with her hit single, “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?”. The following year she won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist with “I Don’t Want to Wait”, which was used as the theme song of the television show Dawson’s Creek.
Cole will return to NYC on July 24th for a very special interview and performance event hosted by Backstory with our founder, Laura B. Whitmore! Stay tuned for details.
