Concord are starting to roll out the promotional build-up for the new Kurt Elling album Passion World.

Set for a June release the label sees it as Elling's “most ambitious” album to date, the singer joined by his quintet of keyboardist Gary Versace, guitarist John McLean, bassist Clark Sommers, and drummer Kendrick Scott. Guests include Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, singer Sara Gazarek, German trumpeter Till Brönner, French accordionist Richard Galliano, and not one but two big bands in the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the WDR Big Band featuring pianist Frank Chastenier.

Elling’s fifth album for the label after a long stint on Blue Note he takes a few risks in material notably covering popular material in U2's ‘Where The Streets Have No Name,’ and by contrast tackling literary fare by singing the words of a James Joyce poem on ‘Where Love Is’ set to music by Irish composer Brian Byrne as well as singing in languages other than English. The singer comments in pre-release publicity material: “Part of my joy as a singer is to give gifts to people, and one way I try to connect to them is to add something in French, or German, or whatever. It’s the one time during a performance where people see me being very vulnerable in their context, instead of them feeling vulnerable in ours. And if I mess it up, they seem to appreciate that I tried.” 

The full track listing is:
    1    The Verse (1:38)
Music by John Clayton, Lyrics by Kurt Elling
    2    After The Door (3:55)
Music by Pat Metheny, Lyrics by Kurt Elling
    3    Loch Tay Boat Song (7:02)
        Traditional, Composed by Annie C. MacLeod, Lyrics by Sir Harold Boulton
    4    Si Te Contara (5:35)
        Music and lyrics by Félix Reina Altuna    
    5    La Vie En Rose (8:12)
Music and lyrics by Edith Giovanna Gassion and Louis Guglielmi, Additional lyrics by Kurt Elling       
    6    Bonita Cuba (6:37)
        Music by Arturo Sandoval, Lyrics by Kurt Elling and Phil Galdston
    7    Where The Streets Have No Name (4:51)
        Music and Lyrics by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
    8    The Tangled Road (7:18)
        Music by Richard Galliano, Lyrics by Kurt Elling
    9    Você Já Foi à Bahia? (2:18)
        Music and lyrics by Dorival Caymmi
    10    Nicht Wandle, Mein Licht (Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52, No. 17) (7:00)
        Music by Johannes Brahms
    11    Who Is It (Carry My Joy On The Left, Carry My Pain On The Right) (4:49)
        Music and lyrics by Björk Guðmundsdóttir
    12    Where Love Is (5:13)
Music by Brian Byrne, Lyrics by James Joyce