Blur Gives Fans A Bit Of 'Tender'ness

02/12/1999 4:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(2/12/99, 1 a.m. PST) - The new album by Britpop favorites Blur may not be due until March 23, but the band is giving fans an early taste of "Tender," the first single from 13, on its official website.

The site (www.blur.co.uk) offers a 40-second Real Audio sample of the song, which was produced by William Orbit and features the London Community Gospel Choir. Orbit's work on Madonna's Ray Of Light helped the album garner multiple Grammy nominations.

Aside from the sound sample, the site also offers the complete track listing of the album--Blur's first without longtime producer Stephen Street (LAUNCH, 11/19/98)--and the cover art.

To promote the release, Virgin Records will employ a2b musicsm's a2b MAILsm, an email marketing application. Emails with a 15-second sample of "Tender," featuring a link to the band's website, will be sent out to Blur fans.

Look for an exclusive Blur interview on LAUNCH.com next month.

Got news tips, comments, or questions? Send them to newstips@mylaunch.com.