New Marc Almond album due on June 26

Some people only know Marc Almond as the deep and powerful voice from the electronic pop classic "Tainted Love," but he's had a long and impressive career that, unfortunately, has largely gone unnoticed stateside. Almond's musical career is so varied, with ventures into many different muscial genres, that he's difficult to summarize briefly. The only constant is his eagerness to challenge himself and grow artistically.

Luckily for old fans and new listeners alike, the openly gay Almond has a new album coming out on June 26. "Stardom Road" will consist of cover versions of Almond's favorite songs, including a recording of Dusty Springfield's "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten," as a duet with one of my favorite singers, Sarah Cracknell (of the group Saint Etienne). You can sample three songs from "Stardom Road" at Almond's MySpace page, a tantalizing teaser for the full album.

Below, check out this live performance from 1993. Almond performs his take of Jacques Brel's "La Chanson de Jacky." It's one of my favorites for adding a new perspective while also paying respect to the earlier versions by Brel and Scott Walker.