Interesting album news: America and Joni Mitchell

They've been through the desert on a horse with no name (ooh, sorry for getting that stuck in your head) and America has a new double album Here & Now coming out in a few weeks on Burgundy Records; notable because it was produced by Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne and James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins.

It also features contributions from Ryan Adams, Ben Kweller, Matthew Caws and Ira Elliot (Nada Surf), Jim James and Patrick Hallahan (My Morning Jacket),and Stephen Bishop and Mark Rozzo (Maplewood). It's unclear at press time (and by that I mean clicking the orange "Publish Post" button) what, exactly, each of these fine young men contribute to the disc, but count me interested.

Also, there is a new Joni Mitchell tribute album coming out on Nonesuch Records with Prince, Bjork, and Sufjan contributing their versions of Joni tracks. This should be good:


Free Man in Paris - Sufjan Stevens
Boho Dance - Bjork
Dreamland - Caetano Veloso
Don't Interrupt the Sorrow - Brad Mehldau
For the Roses - Cassandra Wilson
A Case of U - Prince
Blue - Sarah McLachlan
Ladies of the Canyon - Annie Lennox
Magdalena Laundries - Emmylou Harris
Edith and the Kingpin - Elvis Costello
Help Me - k.d. lang
River - James Taylor