LITA FORD Is Making Dark, Nasty And Sexy New Album

Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner recently conducted an interview with '80s hard rock queen Lita Ford. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: What's the latest with your new album, and how does it differ from "Wicked Wonderland" and some of the earlier records?

Lita: Well, I don't consider "Wicked Wonderland" a Lita Ford record, but it differs from the others because it's dark. It's dark and nasty. It's sexy! That part doesn't differ much. Sexy is always there. I love a good sexy song! But it's from the heart. It's almost a true story. I haven't written in so long. We're producing the album at Gary Hoey's studios. Do you know Gary?

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: Yes, I know who he is.

Lita: Gary and I are producing, and he's doing a killer job. He's bringing out the best in me as a musician and singer, and I feel like I'm singing and playing the best I ever have. We're looking for a May release, hopefully sooner.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: Why do you feel "Wicked Wonderland" was not a true Lita album?

Lita: I don't know, it wasn't really my songs. I sang parts of the songs, not all of them. Greg Hampton played guitar parts. Although I got all the photographs, and they put my name on it (laughs),it's not really a true Lita record. The artwork was great. But I didn't do that much to the writing. There were three people to the writing of it. When you listen to it, it's not really a true Lita record, but this next one coming up, I'm doing everything with Gary Hoey's guidance. It's been real easy, it's been real, and you can hear it when you listen to the CD. Like, "Wow!"

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: Will a bulk of the lyrical content be relationship-related?

Lita: It's sort of inspired some of the lyrics, but I think people go through hard times no matter what, whether they lose a job, or someone in their family passes away. Even good things. Someone gets a promotion or has a baby. It's just about change, and I think a lot of people will relate to these songs whether they are young or old.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: When you left the music spotlight for several years, were you certain that you'd return to music again at some point, or was that more of a self-reflection period where you pondered giving it up?

Lita: I never felt finished. I never felt like I was finished with rock 'n' roll, but I just focused on my children. We were best friends, me and my kids. We hung out 24-7. They were little. Now they're not, and they don't want to be watched all the time. We had a nice spot in the Caribbean, and I raised my family. I didn't want to go on tour with a baby while being around guys smoking cigarettes and drinking. I wanted to focus on being a mom.

Read more from San Antonio Metal Music Examiner.

Video footage of Lita Ford performing her ballad "Close My Eyes Forever" at the M3 Rock Festival, which took place May 13-14, 2011 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, can be viewed below.