Frank Turner Announces New Album No Man’s Land, Releases First Single “Sister Rosetta”
Photo by Karen Dagg Music News Frank Turner
Following his 2018 release Be More Kind, Frank Turner has announced his forthcoming album No Man’s Land and released its first single, “Sister Rosetta.”
Out Aug. 16 via Xtra Mile Recordings/Polydor Records, No Man’s Land sees Turner dedicated to telling the stories of women whose lives have been far too often overlooked. Accompanying the album, Turner is releasing a podcast, Tales From No Man’s Land, to discuss the LP’s themes and stories.
Each of the album’s 13 tracks touches on the story of a different woman in history. Some of the women included are the Byzantine princess Kassiani (“The Hymn of Kassiani”), a Wild West Vaudeville star who was shot by an outlaw (“The Death of Dora Hand”) and Egyptian feminism activist Huda Sha’arawi (“The Lioness”), as well as Turner’s own story of his mother (“Rosemary Jane”).
“These stories should have been told already. And I suspect if they were men they would be better known,” Turner said of the album and podcast in a statement. “It’s bringing together my two main interests in life, which have always been separate from each other—history and songwriting.”
Releasing the first episode of the podcast Wednesday, Turner also released the album’s first single, “Sister Rosetta.” Inspired by none other than Sister Rosetta Tharpe, listeners can hear Tharpe’s own guitar breaks lifted from her catalogue. The track is relatively based in acoustics, and sees Turner’s somewhat mellowed, yet slight punk-edged vocals at the forefront.
No Man’s Land is Turner’s eighth studio album, and has producer Catherine Marks (St. Vincent, Local Natives) at the helm. The album also features a fully female group of musicians.
Listen to Turner’s “Sister Rosetta” below and listen to the first episode of his podcast, Tales From No Man’s Land here. You can also see a 2011 Turner performance from the Paste archives, and the No Man’s Land’s album art and tracklist further down.
No Man’s Land Album Art:
No Man’s Land Tracklist:
01. Jinny Bingham’s Closet
02. Sister Rosetta
03. I Believe You, William Blake
04. Nica
05. A Perfect Wife
06. Silent Key
07. Eye of the Day
08. The Death of Dora Hand
09. The Graveyard of the Outcast Dead
10. The Lioness
11. The Hymn of Kassiani
12. Rescue Annie
13. Rosemary Jane