trouser press: jenny lewis, julie doiron and more

- Jenny Lewis cuts loose her Acid Tongue in September
- Julie Doiron to release collaborative album with Phil Elvrum
- is Miley Cyrus a Britney in waiting?
- ‘Heroes’ actress to release an album
- Joan Osborne gets wild on new album
- Natalie Cole reveals she has Hepatitis C

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After a brief return to the Rilo Kiley fold for last year’s Under The Blacklight, Jenny Lewis releases her second solo album, Acid Tongue, in September through major label Warner Bros. In place of The Watson Twins, Lewis has recruited the likes of Elvis Costello (who duets on ‘Carpetbaggers’), Zooey Deschanel and M Ward (aka She & Him), Johnathan Rice and various members of The Black Crowes, Beachwood Sparks, A Perfect Circle and Elvis Costello’s Imposters, as well as her own sister and her dad. If the quality of songs is anything like fan favourite ‘Jack Killed Mom’, Acid Tongue looks likely to be an unanticipated addition to this year’s best.

Acid Tongue
01 Black Sand
02 Pretty Bird
03 The Next Messiah
04 Bad Man’s World
05 Acid Tongue
06 See Fernando
07 Godspeed
08 Carpetbaggers
09 Trying My Best To Love You
10 Jack Killed Mom
11 Sing A Song for Them

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Canadian indie-rock icon Julie Doiron has teamed up with her good friend Phil Elvrum of Mount Eerie for an off-the-cuff collaborative album due out in early October. Recorded virtually live in just a few days, Lost Wisdom comprises ten Elvrum-penned songs, mostly duets but two or three feature only Julie’s vocals. Meanwhile, Jagjagwar celebrate the tenth anniversary of Doiron’s brilliant album Loneliest In The Morning (originally released on Sub Pop) by reissuing the disc on July 21st. If you haven’t heard it, get it!

In other collaboration news, Neko Case, Cat Power and Exene Cervenka have all signed on to feature on former Flat Duo Jets frontman Dexter Romweber’s next album, as yet untitled and unrecorded, due for release in 2009.

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It seems that barely a week goes by without some new Disney child star turns their tiny hands to music and now, with a nagging sense of déjà vu, we hear that Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) has been proclaiming her intention to stay a virgin until after marriage. Added to her recent controversial photo shoot for Vanity Fair in which the 15-year old was pictured wearing just a satin sheet for modesty, not to mention the internet leak of photos allegedly taken of herself in the shower, alarm bells must be ringing for dad Billy Ray. “I like to think of myself as the girl that no one can get, that no one can keep in their hand,” says Miley. Woah. She’s out of control.

Meanwhile, former virginity fibber Britney Spears is apparently back in the studio working on the follow-up to last year’s Blackout. We’re told that “a team of top-notch producers and songwriters” are involved, but only rumours abound. These feature recent Alanis cohort Guy Sigsworth, as well as JR Rotem, Sean Garrett and Danja. Britney’s label Jive expects to release the album in early 2009.

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Another actress-turned-singer you almost certainly won’t be able to ignore for the next 12 months is Hayden Panettiere, most famous for playing the role of indestructible Claire in TV series ‘Heroes’. Her debut singe, ‘Wake Up Call’ is released next month with the as-yet-untitled album following in early 2009.

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Joan Osborne has reunited with the band who helped to make her multi million-selling breakthrough Relish for her upcoming album, Little Wild One, due out in early September on Womanly Records. The dream team of Joan, Eric Bazilian, Rick Chertoff and Rob Hyman were responsible for the globe-slaying single ‘One Of Us’. You can hear the first fruit of their latest venture, ‘Hallelujah In The City’, on Osborne’s Myspace.

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Soul singer Natalie Cole has revealed she is being treated for Hepatitis C after the disease was diagnosed during a routine examination. The 58-year old, who kicked a heroin addiction in 1984, is quoted as saying “I am committed to my belief in myself and in my abiding faith to meet this challenge with a heartfelt optimism and determination. This is how I intend to deal with this current challenge in my life.”

Although doctors say she has responded well to antiviral treatment, the side effects of the drugs have been significant. Hepatitis C is often a silent disease, not becoming symptomatic until extensive damage has already been done to the liver. In 2007, Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick died of the infection several years after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion after childbirth.

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Alan Pedder

Written by: Wears The Trousers magazine

Tags: britney spears, cat power, exene cervenka, hannah montana, hayden panettiere, heroes, jenny lewis, joan osborne, julie doiron, miley cyrus, natalie cole, neko case, news, rilo kiley, she and him, zooey deschanel

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 4:07 am and is filed under news, the inside leg. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.