Bad Reputation or not, Joan Jett has wrangled some impressive talent for her first album in seven years. On October 1, the Blackhearts leader will release Unvarnished, a 10-track LP featuring contributions from SPIN cover star Dave Grohl and Against Me! mastermind Laura Jane Grace.
The upcoming collection will be Jett’s 14th record with the Blackhearts, following 2006’s Sinner. “It’s a real band album,” the frontwoman said in a statement. “Everybody was involved.”
Despite its collaborative spirit, Jett describes the album as the “most autobiographical project” of her career. Unvarnished finds the ex-Runaways member, now 54, exploring topics such as death and the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In a recent interview with The Modesto Bee, Jett said, “I’m in a different part of my life… The songs aren’t all sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. There comes a time when you have to go through stuff. For me — this isn’t very uplifting — but I call it the decade of death, losing people, companion animals very close to me, my parents, really heavy things.”
Jett co-wrote the full-length’s first single, “Any Weather,” with Grohl. “It’s about a relationship,” she told the Bee, adding, “It doesn’t have to be romantic. It’s about how you can get through anything if there’s love.” She’ll debut the track during an August 8 performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Here’s hoping the ubiquitous Mr. Grohl makes a special guest appearance.
Unvarnished (Standard Edition) track list:
1. “Any Weather (606 Version)”
2. “TMI”
3. “Soulmates to Strangers”
4. “Make It Back”
5. “Hard To Grow Up”
6. “Fragile”
7. “Reality Mentality”
8. “Bad As We Can Be”
9. “Different”
10. “Everybody Needs a Hero”
Unvarnished (Deluxe Edition) track list:
1. “Any Weather (606 Version)”
2. “TMI”
3. “Soulmates to Strangers”
4. “Make It Back”
5. “Hard to Grow Up”
6. “Fragile”
7. “Reality Mentality”
8. “Bad As We Can Be”
9. “Different”
10. “I Know What I Know”
11. “Seriously”
12. “Different (Demo Version)”
13. “Any Weather (Blackhearts)”
14. “Everybody Needs a Hero”
