Macy Gray has just recorded two tracks with Norman Cook (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) for the follow-up to his platinum-selling You've Come a Long Way Baby. Last week, we reported that Cook is working with live vocalists -- instead of exclusively using samples -- for his new album, which is due by year's end.

Speaking from the set of Ally McBeal, where she had just taped an appearance for the May 15 episode, Gray confirmed that she spent Tuesday and Wednesday in a Los Angeles studio with Cook. "We did this one song called, 'Where There's a Way,' and we did another song called 'Love Life,'" Gray said.

She also spoke about Cook's reported change in direction from his big beat past. "'Where There's a Way' is like a mid-tempo dance tune, the chorus is like gospel, and then there's like a Hare Krishna sample in it," she said. "It's wild. It's a trip."

The two met in England on March 3 of this year when Cook approached Gray at the Brit Awards, where Gray picked up awards for Best International Female and Best International Newcomer. "I was going to my table and he came up to me and he said that he wanted to do something together," Gray said. Cook then sent tracks off to Gray, who wrote lyrics to the songs.

Fatboy Slim is not the only one to solicit Gray's songwriting talents of late. "Guru from Gangstarr -- he's working on [his side project album] 'Jazzmatazz Three' and I wrote a track for that," said Gray. "And what else am I doing? I'm meeting with Stevie Nicks today about doing a song with her or writing a song with her."

JOLIE LASH
(April 21, 2000)