John Waite to Release New Album

Considering how big some of John Waite's hits have been over the years, it's almost easy to overlook how long and successful his career has been.

As the lead singer of The Babys in the 70's, John Waite was the leader of a critically acclaimed and beloved live UK rock outfit, known for hits such as "Isn't It Time" and "Everytime I Think Of You."

As a solo artist in the 80's, Waite landed massive hits with "Change," "Every Step Of The Way," "Tears," "These Times Are Hard For Lovers," and of course his #1 mega-smash "Missing You."

In the late 80's and into the 90's he became the lead singer for Bad English who also scored several major hits including the #1 power-ballad "When I See You Smile."

And now, he's returning with the strongest album of his career. Rough & Tumble will be released on Model Music Group/Fontana on February 22nd, 2011.

The album shows a new and fresh side of the British singer/songwriter's creative output. Recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles, Waite considers Rough & Tumble a new beginning for him. "I approached this project with an entirely different ambition musically than I've had in the past," Waite commented. "It's the first record I've made that I think is made up of singles. All 12 tracks are contenders. They're all alive in their own way. I'm not really sure what the energy is behind the songs, but there is a real kind of velocity in the album where we just picked up speed and kept going. We just wanted to play and win."

A good portion of Rough & Tumble was written and produced in a sweet pocket of creativity enjoyed over the past year and a half with Matchbox Twenty lead guitarist/songwriter Kyle Cook, who Waite met through a mutual friend.

The Waite/Cook collaboration has proved to be nothing short of phenomenal, as evidenced by songs like "Evil," a thumping rocker-meets-dance-club tour de force; "Better Off Gone," a hook-laced better-off-on-the-open-road anthem; the deep groove-laden "Love's Goin' Out of Style" and the soaring magic ballad and first single, "If You Ever Get Lonely."

On Rough & Tumble, Waite also managed to keep the rougher live rock edge alive and well. The no-holds-barred, riff-ready title track and the driving renditions of "Sweet Rhode Island Red" (a Tina Turner number) and "Mr. Wonderful," a new take on a hidden gem originally included on his debut solo album, Ignition, are set to shake heads during an upcoming US and European tour in 2011.