Check out this cover that Glee star, Matthew Morrison recorded with the legendary Sir Elton John. It's a mash-up of "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and "Rocket Man," and it's pretty good. While Morrison's voice can come off a bit too theatrical for me at times, it's a lovely rendition of two classic songs. Add to the fact that Elton John himself is singing on the track, and we definitely have a winner. Ryan Seacrest debuted a clip of the song last week, which you can hear below. If you like what you hear, you can download it exclusively over on Amazon.com HERE.
The self-titled album features collaborations with Elton John and Sting as well as Glee co-star Gwyneth Paltrow. Their duet, "Over The Rainbow" is available to download on iTunes HERE. Lead single, "Summer Rain" was co-written by Morrison, Claude Kelly and Norwegian/U.S.-based production team Espionage (Beyonce, Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson, Train), who also produced the track. "Summer Rain" is out now in America (download HERE) and will be released in the UK on May 8th.
Matthew Morrison will be touring the States in support of his debut album, due May 10th on Mercury Records. The tour kicks things off on June 18th in Minneapolis and will hit more than 20 cities, concluding in Los Angeles at the Nokia Theatre on July 23rd. Tickets are on sale now, so go get them HERE if you're so inclined. It's an interesting choice to have Morrison perform in such large venues. I think they might be banking too heavily on his Glee fan base carrying him as a solo artist, but I guess we shall have to wait and see. Whatever happens this tour will surely affect future Glee stars solo efforts. What I do love about this tour is that Morrison is giving back and promoting music education. Working with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, Morrison's tour will be giving Glee clubs the chance to compete for the 'opening act' performance spot. How great is that? Check out tour dates below and make sure you pick up a copy of "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters/Rocket Man" on Amazon.com now.
Tour Dates:
June 18//Minneapolis, MN//Orpheum Theatre
June 19//St. Louis, MO//Fabulous Fox Theatre
June 21//Rosemont, IL//Rosemont Theatre
June 22//Columbus, OH//Palace Theatre
June 23//Detroit, MI//Detroit Opera House
June 27//Philadelphia, PA//Mann Center for the Performing Arts
June 28//Newark, NJ//New Jersey Performing Arts Center
June 29//Boston, MA//Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre
July 1//New York, NY//Beacon Theatre
July 2//Atlantic City, NJ//Caesar's - Circus Maximus
July 6//Washington DC//DAR Constitution Hall
July 7//Greensboro, NC//War Memorial Auditorium
July 8//Duluth, GA//The Arena at Gwinnett Center
July 10//Tampa, FL//David A. Straz Jr Center for the Performing Arts
July 11//Orlando, FL//Bob Carr Performing Arts Center
July 13//Boca Raton, FL//Mizner Park Amphitheatre
July 14//Jacksonville, FL//Moran Theater
July 16//Grand Prairie, TX//Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
July 17//Austin, TX//Bass Concert Hall
July 19//Phoenix, AZ//Comerica Theatre
July 20//San Diego, CA//Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay
July 23//Los Angeles, CA//NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE
Check out Matthew Morrison on the web: