Nina Gordon Resurfaces

Nina Gordon, former singer/guitarist/songwriter from the 90’s pop-rock band Veruca Salt, announced on her website that she will release a new solo album on July 18th. Bleeding Heart Graffiti is the follow up to 2000’s Tonight And The Rest Of My Life, and again will be produced by Bob Rock. Rock also produced Veruca Salt’s outstanding Eight Arms To Hold You, one of my favorite records of the 90’s. Though Gordon’s solo material is touch-and-go for me, I absolutely love her voice. Her work with Louise Post in Veruca Salt will probably end up being the strongest of her career, but I’ll still buy the new album on release day.

The blogs were a-buzz with Nina news last year when she recorded an acoustic version of the NWA song “Straight Outta Compton”. I missed it then but found it recently, along with acoustic renditions of Skid Row’s “18 And Life” and Cinderella’s “Nobody’s Fool”. Enjoy.

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Straight Outta Compton (mp3)
18 And Life (mp3)
Nobody’s Fool (mp3)

For a taste of her solo material, here’s “Tonight And The Rest Of My Life” from her appearance on The Tonight Show.

Tonight And The Rest Of My Life (Live on Leno) (mp3)

While I’m talking about Nina Gordon I can’t help but reminisce about Veruca Salt. Their songs were rocking and loaded with hooks, and the Gordon-Post harmonies really set them apart from bands writing music similar to theirs. I recorded this acoustic set off the now defunct Philly radio station Y-100 when they used to air live performances from Sonic Recording Studios downtown. It would’ve been so cool to be in the studio up close to the band during this performance. The place could only hold about 30 audience members.

Straight (acoustic) (mp3)
Forsythia (acoustic) (mp3)
Lonliness Is Worse (acoustic) (mp3)
Shimmer Like A Girl (acoustic) (mp3)
Shutterbug (acoustic) (mp3)
Seether (acoustic) (mp3)

Veruca Salt doing a slinky cover of The Knack's "My Sharona":

My Sharona (mp3)

If you don’t already have it you should run out (or surf out) and buy Eight Arms To Hold You. It’s a record any rock fan should have in their collection.