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NEW YORK - When she recalls that her last solo record was released 14 years ago, Debbie Harry has a note of incredulity in her voice. "I guess time flies, huh?' she says with a laugh.
The Blondie frontwoman, who didn't initially set out to record another album,
describes the process behind Necessary Evil as "an evolution."
"I started working with (production team) Super Buddha whenever I had free time between other commitments," she says. "I was funding the project myself and didn't have a deal, but I really liked the team and wanted to work with them. When I had six or seven tracks done, I played it for my manager, who suggested that I keep going and record an entire album."
The result is a glossy record that veers from rock to girl-group harmonies to tribal beats. Topics range from the tabloid fascination with troubled celebrities like Lil' Kim to the internal monologue of a female suicide bomber about to end her life in pursuit of paradise. It's not mainstream material, but Harry says she wasn't seeking mass-market approval.
One audience that has already responded enthusiastically has been dance music fans and DJs, who have propelled Harrry's first single, Two Times Blue, to No. 37 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Harry is no stranger to dance clubs, with such Blondie songs as Atomic and Rapture nestled comfortably at the top of many DJs' playlists.
Harry also continues to perform with Blondie. In September, at a Tommy Hilfiger party at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the band played a number of its hits. Still, she wants to make a clear distinction between the work she does as a solo artist and her role in the band.
"If I tour for the new record, I won't play any Blondie songs," Harry says. "I don't want to step on any toes." She also admits that, as much as she loves the hits, "I do get tired of them after a certain point." But Blondie fans shouldn't lose hope just yet: US gigs and a new album, she says, are both likely soon.
Until then, Harry is focusing on a number of personal projects. Aside from Necessary Evil and a possible fall or winter tour, she's gearing up for the release of Elegy, a film based on a Philip Roth novel in which she has a role. She also continues to write and record new material.
After all these years, "I just really like to play," Harry says. "I never get sick of making music."
- REUTERS/Billboard