"Great Performances – Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert." Credit: Robert Sebree

“Great Performances – Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert.” Credit: Robert Sebree

*You watched Annie Lennox put a spell on the audience at the Grammys in February. There’ll be more where that came from next month thanks to PBS and its new Great Performances special, “Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert.”

Released in September, “Nostalgia” represents the singer’s foray into jazz via material from the Great American Songbook.

Her rendition of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You” appears on the album and she’ll perform it again, along with “Nostalgia” tracks “Summertime,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit” and more during the one hour special, taped at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles in January.

Annie Lennox appears on PBS' "Tavis Smiley"

Annie Lennox appears on PBS’ “Tavis Smiley”

It was her cover of “Strange Fruit” that made headlines in October, when she was asked about it by Tavis Smiley and never mentioned that the 1936 Billie Holiday song is specifically about the lynching of African Americans in the South. The blog Gawker was the first to claim that her explanation of “Strange Fruit” was “whitewashed.”

Speaking to the TCA in January, Lennox said the criticism was “painful, so painful I can’t even begin to tell you … because I’m the last person that would disrespect that history.”

Lennox explained in detail why she did not specifically mention lynching, and gives her opinion of the blog that first pointed it out.

The Great Performances special “Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert” airs Friday, April 3 at 10 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.)

NOSTALGIA: An Evening With Annie Lennox

Nostalgia: An Evening With Annie Lennox, a deluxe package featuring Annie Lennox's GRAMMY-nominated Nostalgia album and a brand new concert film, is scheduled for release on May 4th. Shot on January 28th, 2015 by director Natalie Johns (Morrissey) at Los Angeles' art deco Orpheum Theatre, the film captures one of music's most popular and acclaimed artists in her only full concert performance of the songs from Nostalgia. Fronting a 19-piece band - including string and horn sections - and unveiling striking lighting and production elements created especially for this special evening, Lennox demonstrates her distinctive vocal and performance talents on an array of American standards, ranging from "Summertime", "Georgia On My Mind", "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child" to one of roc k'n'roll's most enduring classics,"I Put A Spell On You".


The pre-order is underway now. It can also be pre-ordered on Annie's website, where the first 100 fans to order the premium bundle will have the option to personalize their name in the autograph from Annie.


"Every singer loves the challenge of interpreting truly inspirational songs. Each one of these masterpieces stands as a lasting testimony to the brilliance of their creators - their individual beauty, power and poetry continues to stand the test of time," said Annie Lennox. "The song selection for Nostalgia was very personal and intuitive - there was no agenda or stratagem other than becoming intrigued and fascinated through the process of listening, transcribing and recording. Now they live in my blood stream."


Nostalgia: An Evening With Annie Lennox - Track Listing


1. Intro
2. Memphis In June
3. Georgia On My Mind
4. I Put A Spell On You
5. Summertime
6. I Cover The Waterfront
7. Strange Fruit
8. God Bless The Child
9. You Belong To Me
10. September In The Rain
11. I Can Dream, Can't I?
12. The Nearness Of You
13. Mood Indigo
14. Here Comes The Rain Again
15. No More I Love You's
16. Why
17. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)


Nostalgia - CD & Vinyl Track Listing


1. Memphis In June
2. Georgia On My Mind
3. I Put A Spell On You
4. Summertime
5. I Cover The Waterfront
6. Strange Fruit
7. God Bless The Child
8. You Belong To Me
9. September In The Rain
10. I Can Dream, Can't I?
11. The Nearness Of You
12. Mood Indigo