2002 Billboard Century Award winner Annie Lennox will release a new album, "Bare," June 10 in the U.S. via J Records (a day earlier internationally through BMG). "The songs are gorgeously lush, elegant, and eloquent," is how Billboard's Melinda Newman described the music after hearing the material last year.

The album was recorded in London and produced by long-time collaborator Steve Lipson (Cher, Pet Shop Boys), who has described "Bare" as a "truly career defining album. Her best yet." Among the songs included are "Pavement Cracks," "The Hurting Time," and "The Saddest Song." A single has not yet been determined, according to a J Records spokesperson.

Lennox will precede the release with about a month of North American tour dates starting at the end of March. A management representative tells Billboard.com that the tour will visit only small theaters, "making it a very intimate evening with Annie Lennox." There will be no opening act on the tour.

Currently, only four dates are confirmed. U.S. shows in Miami (March 26), Tampa, Fla. (March 28), and Atlanta (March 30) will go on sale Friday (Feb. 28) via Ticketmaster. A Toronto date (April 4) will go on sale the same day through Ticketmaster Canada. A May date in Zurich is also confirmed; further dates are expected soon.

Fans will be able to keep up with Lennox's travels and information on the new album through a new Web site that is in the midst of being established, according to management.

Lennox last toured in 1999 with Dave Stewart as the Eurythmics. That run came in support of the act's "Peace" (Arista). She has only played a handful of shows as a solo artist, with no full scale tours to support either of her two previous releases, 1995's "Medusa" and 1992's "Diva."

"That was all because of my babies," Lennox said in her Billboard Century Award interview. "We did a few appearances. At one point, I'd been away from my daughter for about a week, and it was disastrous. I felt like part of my body had been cut off and was on the other side of the world -- I couldn't bear it... I just never want to be away from my kids like that. It's not healthy."

Both "Medusa" and "Diva" were released through BMG-associated Arista in the U.S., where Lennox thrived under label head Clive Davis. The move to J Records reunites her with Davis, who established the label after exiting Arista in 2000. Following BMG's November purchase of his 50% stake in the label, he was named chairman of the company's RCA Records Group, which holds the J label under its umbrella.

confirmed tour dates:

March 26: Miami (Gusman Cultural Center)
March 28: Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Theatre)
March 30: Atlanta (Woodruff Arts Center)
April 4: Toronto (Toronto Centre for the Arts)
May 23: Zurich (Kongresshaus)


PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come to the DC/Baltimore/Philly area!! Or even Charlotte or Pittsburgh... please. Annie is my only "favorite" artist that I have yet to see live.

And who knows - 2 of my favorite artists, Annie Lennox and Prince - could end up on the same label, if Prince signs on to J Records like some are suggesting.
[This message was edited Tue Feb 25 16:52:54 PST 2003 by JonSnow]