Rod Stewart, the artist whose legendary voice has launched a string of massive hits, is ready to unveil the compelling concept for his new J Records album.
Baring his trademark vocals like never before, Stewart has dipped into the historic annals of America’s most celebrated songs and revitalized them to create a wonderful modern day soundtrack to our lives. The great American songbook concept began with Rod Stewart himself who brought the idea to legendary music man Clive Davis. Upon the very first listen to the early demos, a deal to bring Rod into the J Records family was instantly signed in February 2002. And now, alongside renowned producers Phil Ramone and Richard Perry, Clive Davis and J Records will release “It Had To Be You… The Great American Songbook” on October 22, 2002. Rod Stewart comments, “Recording these songs that I grew up with has been a life long dream of mine. Making this album was a great challenge and I’m thrilled with the outcome.”
The album is a virtual treasure chest of musical gems arranged and recorded for a wide-ranging, multi-generational audience. And what’s so special is to have a rock n’ roll icon stepping into this musical terrain with such a command and natural feel for the material. Clive Davis, Chairman and CEO of J Records, comments “Rod Stewart has one of the most unique contemporary voices of all time and to have him sing the great American songbook is truly a major thrill for us. We expect this album to be a huge worldwide musical event.”
Rod Stewart’s voice finds itself wrapped around a never before assemblage of songs which include the 1930’s standard “These Foolish Things” which features a solo by saxophonist Dave Koz; the 1924 classic “It Had to Be You” featuring a solo by Michael Brecker, the 1938 classic “You Go To My Head”; “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1938; 1936’s “The Way You Look Tonight” written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields; the 1930’s love song “The Very Thought of You” as well as “For All We Know,” “Where or When,” “Moonglow,” “Everytime We Say Goodbye” and much more.
Perennial Grammy Award winning producer Phil Ramone comments, “I felt a genuine thrill when Clive first played the demos for me. In choosing these wonderful songs and hearing Rod perform them it made me realize Rod and this music are joined at the hip. It’s really a perfect fit. He steps up to the mic, sings his heart out, and his voice finds that sexy swing groove that is pure Rod Stewart. We had a great time making these recordings.”
Most recently Rod Stewart celebrated the success of his greatest hits CD The Story So Far that’s sold over 2 1/2 million units worldwide just this year. With over 120 million records sold and countless charting hits, the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Famer has recorded twenty-one albums including landmarks such as 1976’s A Night On The Town, 1977’s Footloose and Fancy Free, 1978’s Blondes Have More Fun -which taught the world to strut “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”- the 1990 retrospective Storyteller and 1991’s Vagabond. His catalog of hits – many of them written and composed by Stewart himself- includes lifetime anthems such as “Maggie May,” “Tonight’s the Night,” “You Wear It Well,” “Every Picture Tells A Story,” “You’re In My Heart,” “Stay With Me,” “Downtown Train,” “Forever Young,” “Infatuation” and many more.
(Courtesy J Records)