Sound Check: Stevie Wonder, Kittie
March 16, 2001 -- WONDERING WHEN: Legendary singer Stevie Wonder will release a new album in September through Motown Records. The still-untitled LP will be his first since Conversation Peace, but thus far has received little hype, with few details released.
CROSSING THAT BRIDGE: Blues Traveler will release its first album since the overdose death of bassist Bobby Sheehan. Bridge, due May 8 on A&M Records, will feature Tad Kinchla, brother of guitarist Chan Kinchla, on the low notes.
TALKING EYEBALL: Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne will release Look Into the Eyeball on May 8 — his first project with Virgin Records after separating from Warner Bros. Among the 12 introspective songs is "Desconocido Soy," sung by Café Tacuba vocalist Nru.
CRAN-ALBUM: Irish pop-rockers The Cranberries have written material for a fifth album and plan to enter a Dublin studio next month to record with producer Stephen Street (Blur, the Smiths). The band will also release Bury the Hatchet: The Complete Sessions on Tuesday.
ENGLAND ON FIRE: Manchester rock act James will release a new album this summer, according to British music magazine NME. The band, which performed the hit "Laid," recorded the album with studio wizard Brian Eno.
KITTIE ROARING: Metal quartet Kittie is planning to head back into the studio with producer GGGarth to work on a still-untitled new album due later this year. A representative from Artemis Records says the band has at least 7 songs written.. Meanwhile, the all-female band has brought its label a new industrial metal band called Crossbreed, whose debut album, Synthetic Division, will be released May 8.
MOORE MUSIC: Mandy Moore's follow-up to I Wanna Be With You is scheduled for release on May 29 through Epic Records. The first single to the still-untitled album, "In My Pocket," will go to radio in mid to late April.
500 MORE MILES: The Scottish twins who call themselves The Proclaimers, the band behind the ubiquitous 1993 hit "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," are planning a new album for this spring. Persevere is due May 22 from Nettwerk America, accompanied by a single "There's a Touch."
WANTED ALIVE: New Jersey rock act Bon Jovi will release its first-ever live album May 22 through Island Records. "Living on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and "Bad Medicine" are all slated to make the cut.
BROTHERS AT PEACE:The members of Oasis have convened at guitarist Noel Gallagher's home studio in Buckinghamshire, England, with the intention of cutting seven new tracks before taking off for a U.S. tour with The Black Crowes. Assuming the band makes it through the tour without another split, it's hoping to finish an album afterward and get it into stores by August.
END OF TUNNEL: The members of Garbage have been holed up in a Madison, Wis., studio for months and are aiming to wrap work on the new album by May 15 — giving them some time for tinkering, tracking, packaging, and marketing — possibly for a mid-summer release, assuming legal battles with Universal Music don't hold things up.
For a comprehensive list of CDs due in the next few weeks, check Wall of Sound's Release Dates.