First Look and Listen: "Roll Out" New Single From Labelle

They're back. Take a look and take a listen.

The reunion of Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash has been decades in the making. Here is your first look at the cover art for Back to Now, the first new studio album from Labelle in more than 30 years.

Get into the lead single Roll Out. (Quicktime and Windows Media) The midtempo track is a little more R&Bish than some of Labelle's best known work but the signature voices, bassline and crescendo ... it's all there. The track was produced by and features Wyclef Jean. Lenny Kravtz and the incomprable Gamble & Huff produce other tracks on the new album.

The Back to Now cover art is signature Labelle. The pioneering 60s and 70s rock-soul-funk trio was best known for their glamazon costumes and meteoric concert staging—the ladies sometimes used heliocopters to make stage entrances—and their international hit Lady Marmalade. (No discussion allowed of the "remake" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.) That wasn't our favorite Labelle track. Does anyone remember Messin' With My Mind? The bassline on that song is killer and Patti and Nona are screaming into the stratosphere.

Back to Now drops October 21. Look forward to some Rod 2.0 exclusives such as CD giveaways and an (crossing our fingers) interviews with the ladies.

Comments

[carl]

ROD: YOU'D BETTER WORK!!!

I absolutely love LaBelle. I am downloading now. These women were FIERCE!!!!

[ACH]

This song is hot. Its very uptempo so the kids can get into it...I want to ehar the rest of the album. Gamble and Huff are masters.

These are true DIVAS who bring back many memories.

[Albert]

Wow. What a surprise. And ACH is telling the truth. Patti, Nona and Sarah put the "D" in "diva."

I will listen to the sample when I get home. Thanks.

[Bart]

Not their first album in 30 years. What about their tribute to Rosa Parks? That was two years ago.

[Arthur T]

The new track is decent. It's not nearly as great as the music from Labelle's heyday but it's not supposed to be. It's new, it's fresh, it's still vintage Labelle, patti is still hollerin' like it's nobody's business.

[atl kid]

Bart, this is indeed Labelle's first studio album in 32 years. "Dear Rosa" was a single on limited release.

Rod, I've already downloaded to my Blackberry. I'm not the biggest fan of Wyclef Jean but I love these women. It will get some radio play and of course everyone is talking about it.

[anon]

Rod, you have my growing respect. On Monday you previewed "Shirts & Skins" and today you gave us this gem. Thanks.

[True]

Rod I was wondering when you would post this. I really like this song. I used wiretap to convert it to iTunes. This song is nice and it should get hella play in the clubs. I have never been a fan of Wyclef but he did it on this one. I do not think the world is ready for what is about to happen
IMO Labelle is the best female group ever. These women did what many groups will never accomplish. It's not about sales it’s about raw talent and the message that was in their music: Love sex racism and sexism were their themes. These women performed and although Patti was lead when they sang you heard three distinctive voices. This was not your average girl group. Patti Nona and Sarah complimented each other.
Labelle could blow up with the right promotion. This album will be a classic. "System" a song that was suppose to be on the Shaman album will be on Back To Now. They remade Sylvester's "Mighty Real"
I truly believe this will be a hit especially with Lenny Kravitz, Gamble & Huff you have an instant classic.
From the Labelle album to Back To Now these women are icons.
I believe Dear Rosa will be on this album

[david]

True is telling TRUTH.

Back to Now will be the business. Labelle was the mmost incredible female group of all ti me. Their talent is so much more than anything else that was produced by Motown. Patti, Sarah and Nona became highly accomplishe din their own right and all are iconic.

I am also happy to see this hear on Rod 2.0. I am pleasantly surprised to discvover you are a fan of Labelle. Now, since we are getting to know each other, what do you ko now about Sarah and Nona? :)

[freeleo]

I can't wait for the tour. Rod please keep us posted if you hear anything.

[Michelle]

omg, this made my DAY!!!

[True]

I cannot help it but I love this post. I was looking at a few other sites and some people were not to thrilled about the song. I think people are expecting Labelle from 30 years ago. This album will be the same style but with a modern twist. I am dying to hear the material Lenny and Nona wrote together. This is a real reunion its not watered down and it is the three original women. I will admit I figured "Mighty Real" Would be the first single. I really want to hear Sarah release on that song. Rod I will continue to check this site out. I hope you get to interview them. I have been reading and Nona Patti and Sarah contribute to writing on this album.... Nona is a mastermind I still listen to all their albums and her songs are amazing

[Ryan]

FIYAH! Labelle is back! OH SNAP!

I need to tell my parents to stop over here and check it out they are MAJOR Patti Labelle and Nona Hendryx fans!

hmm...ill have to get this for both of them when it comes out.

[Rod Mc]

Glad everyone likes the music.

Freeleo, David, True, Ryan ... Don't get me started, lol. I can remember watching Sarah Dash on Don Kirchener's "Rock Concert" pertform "Sinner man." I even had the 12" in high school. Oh, and who can forget punking out to Nona's "Do What You Wanna Do" and "Transformation" at 3am?

[lovin labelle]

Can someone tell me how they downloaded this? I love ti so much. I'll check back up for the answer.

[Ryan]

OOH...I LIVE for Nona! I think I may still have "Do What You Wanna Do" and "Transformation" at home in the parents home in ohio somewhere...

hmmm...is nona "family"? I ask because backin the late 90's/early part of this decade, her name started popping up on a list of black lgbt performers and i remember her doing a VIBE interivew about black sexuality where she was QUITE frank about liking men and women...

if ican find some links, ill let you know...but, i always got the impression she was "family" for real.

[Lavenderpop]

Ryan, yeah she's family. I also remember reading stuff about her liking women. gloobts.com list her orientation as bi.

http://gloobts.com/site/index.php/famous-glbts-h.html

I love that she followed her own path musically. SKIN DIVER from the late 80s was like some new age art rock. I have buried somewhere a 12" of Why Should I Cry...that was my jam!

Here is her official site.
http://www.nonahendryx.com/main.html

I look forward to the new stuff.

[True]

I go on youtube and look at their performances all the time. The Pressure Cookin and Phoenix albums are out of print. I am not even gonna tell yawl how much I paid to get those albums. The Nona Transformation CD is hot and that was a nice penny. I like Labelle because vocally they were power houses. These women did not hold back inthe studio and onstage. So I am just waiting on a great album.

I am not happy with the record label. Chaka Khan's Funk this was hot hot hot and she received two grammy's but the label did not promote it. It doesn't help that Nona Sarah and Patti are all working on other projects :0(.... So I am hoping for a solid album. I know it will be different. The industry is different from thirty years ago. The music businees has changed a lot. I am a Labelle fan for life... I am so glad to see other bruthas supporting them.

Nona has confirmed that she is bisexual

[TheRevKev]

ALL I AM GOING TO SAY IS:

"ISN'T IT A SHAME!!!!"

OKAY, I AM ALSO GOING TO SAY

GOING DOWN TO YOUR RIVER
YOU TURN ME ON
CAN I SPEAK TO YOU BEFORE YOU
GO TO HOLLYWOOD
GET YOU SOMEBODY NEW
WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?
SPACE CHILDREN

LORD HAVE MERCY!!!! IF I HAVE NEVER "QUEENED OUT" IN MY LIFE, I AM GOING TO LOSE IT WHEN THEY HIT THE STAGE FOR A FULL SHOW!!!

WOW, I KNOW THAT MY LATE SISTER BETTIE, WHO INTRODUCED ME TO THEM WHEN I WAS 10, IS LOOKING DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND PUSHING ME...HARD...TO BE AT THEIR SHOWS. I AM GOING TO GO ON TOUR WITH THEM! WHEREVER THEY ARE, I'M THERE!

"IF YOU KEEP IT UP...I'M GONNA GIVE YOU UP! IF YOU KEEP IT UP!!!!"

I LOVE YOU ROD!

[soulbrotha]

Thanks for posting this Rod. However I will have to be in the minority of folks who don't like this track. It sounds so generic and "slick" to me. Nothing about it stands out. And where the heck are Nona and Sarah? I honestly did not hear them.
I don't understand why true artists, LEGENDS, feel the need to modernize their sound. Why not do what Al Green did and make an album that is true to your original sound? His "Lay It Down" has been hailed by critics and it sounds just like his classic stuff, with the incorporation of current artists like John Legend and Corrine Bailey Rae. It's awesome!

I hope the rest of the Labelle album lives up to the hype, but this track just made me dread what's to come.

[True]

Soulbrotha This is a Wyclef track he was brought in last. The main producers on the album are Lenny, Gamble and Huff. Patti even said he was unorganized but she liked working with him. I know this album will be solid one thing about Patti Nona and Sarah is they are in charge of their careers. This track is not classic Labelle but neither was Turn It Out from Too Wong Foo. I can understand why you don't like it but trust me when I say that is a track for younger crowd. They have to appeal to all audiences.

[Anthony Jones]

I am so happy that Patti decided to reunite. I am such a huge fan of Ms.Patti and can't wait until Oct.21 to purchase thye cd!

[True]

Back to Now

1 Candlelight
2 Roll Out
3 Superlover
4 System
5 The Truth Will Set You Free
6 Without You in My Life
7 Tears For The World
8 Dear Rosa
9 How Long
10 Miss Otis Regrets

This is according to Borders....
I was hoping for a long album but I am still excited.... I thought Moosshadow was too short

[banjiboi]

Messin' With My Mind is no doubt my fave Labelle cut! Invite the crew ova for some Saturday Night Spades and reading lessons, slip it into your Friday night house mix and when the drum break starts cracking, watch the chil'ren start speaking in tongues - trust!
Glad to see the girls are back.

And although it wouldn't bepossible because some key members have passed away, here's my reunion wishlist:

The Emotions
The Jones Girls

[banjiboi]

Honorable mention:

Perri