MICHAEL DES BARRES
GETS SURPRISE FROM
STEVEN VAN ZANDT
NEW ALBUM
‘THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE’
APPROACHES APRIL 7 RELEASE
As MICHAEL DES BARRES gears up for the April 7 release of his album THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE (FOD Records), the British, singer, songwriter and musician got quite the surprise while visiting with Steven Van Zandt in a Los Angeles studio last week. That’s where DES BARRES learned that his song “Painkiller” is one of the tunes that legendary singer Darlene Love interprets on her upcoming Van Zandt-produced album (see photos below).
“When I arrived, he [Steven] sat me down at the mixing board and said, ‘Listen to this one,’” says DES BARRES. “Suddenly, I realized he had produced for Darlene a song I co-wrote with Paul Ill. My mind was blown. You might know the song from my last album Carnaby Street. To hear it reinterpreted by arguably the greatest female singer in R&B/soul was truly one of the happiest and proudest moments of my life.”
As fans of Little Steven’s Underground Garage know, DES BARRES is a host on the SiriusXM radio Channel 21, weekdays 5-8am PT and 9pm – midnight PT.
DES BARRES describes THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE as “very loud, very raw and it’s gonna rock like f***.” Produced by Bob Rose (who’s worked on albums by Julian Lennon, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols and DES BARRES 1986 album Somebody Up There Likes Me) and recorded at Forum Music Village in Rome, THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE features DES BARRES firing on all cylinders and lighting up the rock world as only he can. Here’s a sample of early praise for the album:
“…there’s been a void in the rock and roll landscape and thankfully Michael Des Barres is back with a sense of urgency and a desire to fill it up. Des Barres’ new album, The Key to the Universe (release date April 7) speaks volumes in terms of raw, rock power. Songs like ‘I Want Love To Punch Me In The Face’ and the Linda Perry penned, ‘Can’t Get You Off My Mind’ scream for multiple spins while tracks like ‘Room Full of Angels’ showcase just how far Des Barres voice has come in forty years…The Key to the Universe is a welcome rock record by one of the genre’s best front men and an album that’s driven by a heartbeat and by your hips.”
–James Wood, AXS.COM, 2/19/2015
“Michael Des Barres’ The Key To The Universe is one of those increasingly rare records that makes you remember why we love rock ‘n’ roll – in fact, it forces you to remember why we love rock ‘n’ roll. Rock ‘n’ roll that reminds you that the best rock ‘n’ roll resides both in the head, and below the waist. This record is a blast… Michael Des Barres has unleashed an album that is the best of his long and storied career… the record marries Des Barres’ velvety shards of broken glass vocals with a band that is absolutely smoldering on the verge of explosion..The intensity is palpable – this foursome provides an incredible amount of ear candy that well decorates the ‘heart on the sleeve’ stories that are being told. The music makes you feel like you’re living the song, as all great rock should. The Key To The Universe is a stunningly brilliant piece of music. You have a voice that has lived to not just tell the tale, but to also serve as a spokesman for what should and can be. You have a band that sounds like it has absorbed the songs and the singer, and they are solidly set in making the soundtrack sound like the story, and they succeed magnificently.”
–Tony Conley, ROCKGUITARDAILY.BLOGSPOT.COM, 2/24/2015
