Mike Doughty Covering John Denver, Cheap Trick, Stone Roses on New Album

Mike Doughty will take on songs by John Denver, Cheap Trick, the Stone Roses, Stephen Sondheim and more on his new covers album, "The Flip Is Another Honey," out Nov. 6 via Snack Bar/Megaforce. The title, taken from a 1956 Variety review of a Jerry Lee Lewis single, means "the b-side is also fantastic."

Doughty has long included choice covers in his repertoire, putting his mark on songs by Mary J. Blige, Kenny Rogers, Neutral Milk Hotel and Daniel Johnston in the studio, and Guns ‘N’ Roses, The Magnetic Fields and more in concert. But "The Flip Is Another Honey" is the first full album on which Doughty lends his unmistakable voice to other writers’ songs. "Take Me Home, Country Roads," is a cover of the John Denver song, performed here with guest vocalist Rosanne Cash. The opening track "Sunshine" finds Doughty rapping around samples of Denver’s voice. "Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat" is a straightforward version of the song from the musical "Guys and Dolls" by Frank Loesser. "Reach Out" is an obscure Cheap Trick tune from the soundtrack of the early 80s animated film "Heavy Metal," which segues into a version of Josh Wink’s 90s EDM classic "Higher State of Consciousness." Other artists Doughty covers on the album include Randy Newman, Thin Lizzy, Doveman, Red House Painters, Low, Camille, and Cat Iron (via 15 60 75 The Numbers Band). See below for a track listing.

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" will be the first single from the album, impacting AAA radio on October 8, four days before the 15th anniversary of Denver’s death. Says Doughty, "’Country Roads’ was my first favorite song. When I was three, I listened to John Denver’s greatest hits, on one of those big shoebox cassette players you used to see in school libraries. I lay in the back of a massive, green, 1970s Oldsmobile, pressing the shoddy, mono speaker up to my ear."

"The Flip Is Another Honey" was produced and mixed by Kevin Salem (Emmylou Harris, Mercury Rev). Doughty played, or programmed, every sound on the album, with the exception of three tracks — "Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat," Sondheim’s "Send In the Clowns," and Newman’s "God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)" — which were performed live in the studio with Doughty’s longtime collaborators, keyboardist "Cashmere" Dan Chen and cellist Andrew "Scrap" Livingston.

Doughty has select solo performances scheduled for the fall, including three more dates in his City Winery residency in New York and a performance at the DeLuna Festival in Pensacola, Florida. See below for a complete schedule.

MIKE DOUGHTY – "THE FLIP IS ANOTHER HONEY" TRACK LIST:

1. Sunshine

2. A Fanfare

3. Jimmy Bell
(originally by Cat Iron, based on a version by 15 60 75 the Numbers Band)

4. Take Me Home, Country Roads
(feat. Rosanne Cash; originally by John Denver)

5. Southern Girls
(originally by Cheap Trick)

6. Tightrope
(based around a chorus by The Stone Roses)

7. Send in the Clowns
(originally from the musical "Company," by Stephen Sondheim)

8. Running Back
(originally by Thin Lizzy)

9. Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat
(originally from "Guys and Dolls," by Frank Loesser)

10. Boy + Angel
(originally by Doveman)

11. Reach Out
(originally by Cheap Trick)

12. Ta Douleur
(originally by Camille)

13. God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind) (originally by Randy Newman)

14. Mistress
(originally by Red House Painters)

15. Words
(originally by Low)

Full liner notes + songwriting credits available on request.

MIKE DOUGHTY TOUR DATES:

Sept 18 — New York, NY — City Winery

Sept 22 — Pensacola, FL — DeLuna Fest

Oct 12 — New York, NY — City Winery

Oct 13 — Wilmington, DE — World Cafe Live at the Queen

Nov 23 — Teaneck, NJ — Mexicali Live

Nov 24 — New York, NY — City Winery

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