Rod Stewart News

(1/25/01, 6 p.m. ET) - Rod Stewart is set to release Human, his first outing on Atlantic Records after more than two decades with Warner Bros., on February 6. The follow-up to 1998's rocking, cover-heavy When We Were Young, Human is a smoother and more pop-oriented album, executive-produced by longtime Stewart cohort Rob Dickins.

The set features songwriting and production work by a number of luminaries, including Don Henley collaborator Danny Kortchmar and the team of Mark Taylor & Brian Rawling, who resurrected Cher's career in 1999 with "Believe."

Among the album's songs are covers of Macy Gray's "Smitten," Curtis Mayfield's "It Was Love That We Needed," and the Mavericks' "To Be With You," the latter of which Stewart produced. Former Guns N' Roses lead guitarist Slash plays on the title cut, while former Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler lends his guitar skills to the song "If I Had You," and Jesse Johnson of the Time plays on the Mayfield track.

Stewart is gearing up for a huge promotional campaign for Human. He's already set to appear on Good Morning America the week the album is released, along with The Late Show With David Letterman (February 8). He's also scheduled for an in-store album signing at the Virgin Megastore in New York's Times Square (February 14), and Late Night With Conan O'Brien (February 15), The Rosie O'Donnell Show (February 16), and The View (February 19). Tour plans have not been announced yet.

You can watch the video for "I Can't Deny It," the album's first single, at LAUNCH.com, where fans can also see clips for classic Rod Stewart songs including "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy," "Hot Legs," and "Reason To Believe." You can also preview several other songs from Human at LAUNCH.com by going to the "Album Previews" section.

-- Gary Graff, Detroit

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