Marianne Faithfull Returns with 'Horses and High Heels,' Gets Lou Reed, Wayne Kramer to Guest

BY Gregory AdamsPublished May 19, 2011

It's hard to believe, but Marianne Faithfull's singing career kicked off 47 years ago with her debut single "As Tears Go By." Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the tune was the first time we heard her interpret someone else's work. Since then, Faithfull has put her indelible, enigmatic spin on songs by a number of artists, including Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Morrissey and more. Unsurprisingly, her newly announced follow-up to 2009's Easy Come, Easy Go sees her unveiling a new batch of covers.

A press release for Horse and High Heels, her 23rd solo outing, finds the "scorched-earth torch singer" taking a crack at some soulful songs. Faithfull recorded the set in the French Quarter of New Orleans with a number of talented musicians backing her. Guests include Lou Reed and virtuoso player John Porter on guitar, as well as Dr. John and MC5's Wayne Kramer.

As for the tunes, she tackles such track as Greg Dulli & Mark Lanegan's "The Stations," R.B. Morris's country rock-styled "That How Every Empire Falls," and Jackie Lomax's "No Reason."

"We chose some soul material this time, which I was very unsure of at first," Faithfull said in a statement. "These songs are more vocally demanding and it was quite frightening. But I think we managed it."

While Faithfull put her pipes to the test on the cover material, there are also a few originals on Horses and High Heels. "Why Did We Have to Part?" is "an elegy to the end of a long relationship," while the joyous, Arabian jazz-influenced "Eternity" features a sample of the late Brian Jones's work with the Master Musicians of Jajouka.

Horses And High Heels drops in Canada on June 28 via Naïve Records/Select.

In other news, Faithfull will be playing a couple of festival shows in Quebec this summer. Check out the dates below.

Horses and High Heels:

1. "The Stations"
2. "Why Did We Have To Part"
3. "That's How Every Empire Falls"
4. "No Reason"
5. "Prussian Blue"
6. "Love Song"
7. "Gee Baby"
8. "Goin' Back"
9. "Past Present Future"
10. "Horses And High Heels"
11. "Back In Baby's Arms"
12. "Eternity"
13. "The Old House"

Tour dates:

7/4 Montreal, QC - Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
7/14 Quebec City, QC - Festival d'été de Québec

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