NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic/ Elektra Records) - Elektra recording artist
Tracy Chapman has unveiled an extensive slate of summer concert dates, her first full-scale North American itinerary in over three years. The tour - which celebrates the multi-platinum, four-time Grammy-winner's acclaimed 2008 release, 'OUR BRIGHT FUTURE' - will hit the road on July 31st at Boston's House of Blues. From there, Chapman will cross the continent, wrapping up with an eagerly awaited show at The Fillmore in her adopted hometown of San Francisco.
The North American dates will be preceded by a major trek across Europe, with multiple performances set for Ireland, England, France, Denmark, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and The Netherlands.
Chapman will be accompanied on both her European and North American tours by her band, which includes guitarist/multi-instrumentalist
Joe Gore (Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Aimee Mann), keyboardist Patrick Warren (Fiona Apple, Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco), and drummer Dawn Richardson (4 Non Blondes, Penelope Houston).
Beginning with the 1988 release of her eponymous, 6x-platinum certified debut, Chapman has created a body of work that has been as consistently compelling as it is honest and uncompromising. 'OUR BRIGHT FUTURE' - Tracy's eighth studio album and first new release since 2005's acclaimed 'WHERE YOU LIVE' - gathers 11 new songs co-produced with fellow Grammy Award winner Larry Klein (Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell, Madeleine Peyroux).
The album received a rapturous critical response upon its release last November. The Boston Globe hailed Chapman's 'emotional intensity and clarity of vision,' and then went on to laud tracks such as the first single, 'Sing For You,' as 'tuneful and soul-baring, a rare and beautiful combination.' The New York Times' Jon Pareles praised the album's 'delicacy,' noting that 'it draws listeners closer to what (Chapman) does best.' 'Tracy Chapman remains true to her musical calling,' extolled Billboard, 'soul-rich folk melodies around a voice of honesty and nuance that nails ambivalence like no other.'
North American Tour 2009:
JULY
31 Boston, MA House of Blues
AUGUST
1 Northampton, MA Calvin Theatre
3 Philadelphia, PA Keswick Theatre
5 Edmonton, AB Edmonton Folk Music Festival
7 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
8 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
9 Baltimore, MD Ram's Head Live
11 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theatre
12 Chicago, IL Park West
14 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theatre
15 Minneapolis, MN O'Shaughnessy
18 San Diego, CA Humphrey's
19 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre
21 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
