One certainly couldn’t blame singer-songwriter Paula Cole if she penned a follow-up to her biggest hit, “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and titled it “Where Has All the Time Gone?” Cole was just 29 when she took home the 1998 Best New Artist Grammy for “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” (which garnered seven nominations in all). Speed ahead a couple of decades, and Cole finds herself two months removed from her 50th birthday and doing what many artists do when they reach that milestone: returning to her roots. Which in Cole’s case meant reconnecting with jazz, the genre that first led her to a microphone.
Interestingly, to get back to those roots, Cole took a New-Age route: She launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly $80,000, which funded her eighth studio album, Ballads. Released in August, the 20-song collection features the Massachusetts native covering jazz, folk and American roots classics from the 1930s to 1960s. Among the legends she pays tribute to are Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Nina Simone. Now Cole is bringing those artists—along with her own classics—to life during a 17-date U.S. tour that stops at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center this week for a two-night engagement.
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. June 15-16, starting at $39 plus tax and fee. 702.749.2000
