Lena Hall's New EP 'OBSESSED: ELTON JOHN' Available Today

SKB Records has announced the third month of the groundbreaking new music and video series Lena Hall Obsessed from the Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee. Obsessed: Elton John - exploring the work of the Oscar, Tony and Grammy winning royalty of rock - is available at www.LenaHallObsessed.com as well as iTunes and Amazon today, Friday, March 2. A special trailer for the new EP is available HERE.

A singular artist who authentically and explosively brings the worlds of Rock and Broadway together, Hall is releasing a monthly series of EPs over the course of 2018. Obsessed will consist of 12 EPs, one released on the first Friday of every month, and each featuring stripped-down, emotionally-intensive covers of one artist or band with whom Lena is "obsessed." Performance music videos have been created for all 54 songs in the series and a new music video will premiere every week in 2018. Obsessed is produced by Justin Craig, Lena Hall and Kurt Deutsch.

Obsessed: Elton John features five raw, yet sophisticated tracks from the British chart-topper. "The Bitch Is Back," from his 1974 album Caribou, is followed by the eternal "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" - a top 5 Billboard hit for John in 1975. "Take Me to the Pilot," a raucous lesser-known track, was originally the B-side of 1970's "Your Song." Her spare, nuanced take on "Have Mercy on the Criminal" from the blockbuster 1973 LP Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player is next, with "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" - one of John's most commercially successful singles - concluding the EP with verve and heart. All songs have music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin.

February's Obsessed: Peter Gabriel honors the seminal rock star and songwriter. According to Billboard, it's "a great introduction not only to her amazing voice but her ability to transform rock songs into incredibly intimate personal statements." BroadwayWorld called the collection "an immensely satisfying tribute to Peter Gabriel allowing listeners to revel in gravely grandeur of Hall's delicious rock vocals." January's debut EP, Obsessed: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, her inspired new take on the landmark rock musical for which she earned her Tony Award on Broadway, was hailed as "stirring" by Rolling Stone with Time Out New York calling it a "superb showcase for the mixture of clean power and rock grit that have made Hall so magnetic as a singer."

Lena received widespread critical acclaim for her performance of the title role in the feature film Becks, which won the LA Film Festival and is in theaters nationwide as well as VOD. The New York Times called her the "charismatic, tone-perfect lead," with the Los Angeles Times adding "sexy and sexually frank, Becks works thanks to the musical talent and offbeat charms of its lead. Hall feels authentic at each moment."

Obsessed features Justin Craig on guitar and keyboards; Matt Duncan on bass, keyboards and saxophone; and Brian Fishler on drums and percussion. The album cover is photographed by Melisa Hall and designed by Stephanie Layton. Each set of videos features a different outfit created by renowned designer Malan Breton. James Eades serves as Director of Photography.

Lena Hall is a Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee who will appear opposite Jennifer Connelly in TNT's science fiction epic "Snowpiercer." Following her Tony winning Broadway run in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Lena toured North America alongside Josh Groban on his "Stages" tour and portrayed the dual starring roles of Hedwig and Yitzhak in Hedwig in Los Angeles (LA Drama Critics Circle nomination) and San Francisco. She originated the role of Nicola in the Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots, and can be seen on HBO's "Girls," Amazon Prime's "Good Girls Revolt", and heard voicing the fan-favorite role of Countess Coloratura on "My Little Pony." Hall's most recent stage appearance was starring with Marisa Tomei in Lincoln Center Theatre's How To Transcend A Happy Marriage. Hall's two solo musical revues Sin & Salvation, which played the legendary Cafe Carlyle, and The Villa Satori: Growing Up Haight Ashbury both received rave reviews and have spawned live albums. @lenarockerhall

Lena Hall - "OBSESSED: Elton John" TRACK LIST

1. The Bitch Is Back

2. Someone Saved My Life Tonight

3. Take Me to the Pilot

4. Have Mercy on the Criminal

5. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

SKB RECORDS, originally conceived to bridge the gap between theater and rock music, has become the leading independent force in the last 17 years, featuring some of the most successful Broadway musicals and solo albums by Broadway's brightest stars. Along with the company's imprint Ghostlight Records, they have built a library of over 150 records including major Original Broadway Cast Recordings. Founded by Grammy Award winner Kurt Deutsch, Sh-K- Boom/Ghostlight has won Grammy Awards for The Book of Mormon, In the Heights and Beautiful - The Carole King Musical. Other notable releases include cast recordings for 2017 Tony nominee Falsettos, 2016 Tony nominees Bright Star and She Loves Me and 2015 Tony nominee Something Rotten! as well as Disney's Newsies. The label has also released solo albums from Patti LuPone, Billy Porter, Sutton Foster, Adam Pascal, Lea DeLaria, Kelli O'Hara, Ben Vereen, Christine Ebersole and more. The label continues to support the new generation of musical theatre composers with their extensive relationships with David Yazbek, Michael John LaChiusa and Michael Friedman, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, Pasek & Paul, Joe Iconis, Ryan Scott Oliver, Shaina Taub, Dave Malloy, Kerrigan & Lowdermilk and Adam Gwon. Sh-K-Boom Entertainment is a producer of the acclaimed film version of The Last Five Years, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. The label recently became part of the new Arts Music division at Warner Music Group.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos