Paula Cole, who took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1998 after “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want To Wait” were unexpected hits, has announced a new album, Lo, her first full-length of all original songs in nearly a decade. Its lead single is called “The Replacements & Dinosaur Jr.,” and it’s a tribute to her friend and artistic mentor Mark Hutchins.

The song is about all the artists that Hutchins helped her appreciate, as laid out in the chorus: “You showed me the Replacements and Dinosaur Jr./ The Beatles, yes, you preferred John/ XTC and Daniel Lanois and ‘Bonita Applebum’.”

“Mark exploded my mind. I literally heard the Beatles first with Mark. Also The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., A Tribe Called Quest, the Pixies, and a lot of gorgeous early-90’s alternative music folks might not associate with me. We connected in our love for Peter Gabriel’s music,” Cole shared in a statement. (Cole started out as a vocalist during Gabriel’s 1993-94 tour.)

“I was mourning, honoring, celebrating Mark when I wrote this,” Cole continued. “I wanted to acknowledge him and his lasting influence in my life. Mark should have had an enormous career. I’m so grateful. The song needed to be fun, like he was.”

Listen to “The Replacements & Dinosaur Jr.” below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Follow The Moon”
02 “The Replacements And Dinosaur Jr.”
03 “Take It Take It Take It”
04 “Invisible Armor”
05 “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday”
06 “Green Eyes Crying”
07 “Calling All Saviors”
08 “Golden Apples Of The Sun-Fahrenheit 451”
09 “Letters From A Quarry Miner”
10 “Wildflower”
11 “Flying Home”

Lo is out 3/1 via 675 Records.