Verve Records Is "Kissing Jessica Stein" With March Soundtrack

On Tuesday, March 19th, 2002, Verve Records will release the soundtrack to Kissing Jessica Stein, a modern romantic comedy from Fox Searchlight. The 14-song collection features some of Verve's most passionate songs from legendary vocalists such as Sarah Vaughan and Shirley Horn, as well as new songs, including the never-before-released “Gee Baby," from pianist Matt Rollings with Lyle Lovett.

The soundtrack from Kissing Jessica Stein is bookended by two Blossom Dearie tunes - “Put On a Happy Face" and “I Wish You Love" - and is filled with such chestnuts as Carmen McRae's “Exactly Like You," Peggy Lee's “I Don't Know Enough About You," and Billie Holiday's “What A Little Moonlight Can Do." Other classics included are Ella Fitzgerald's “Manhattan" and Anita O'Day's “Taking A Chance on Love." Two newer songs-Diana Krall's rendition of “Devil May Care" and Jill Phillips' “That Could Happen To Us"-round out the soundtrack.

The Kissing Jessica Stein soundtrack was produced by Ken Levitan and Chris Farren and compiled and sequenced by The Verve Music Group's President and CEO, Ron Goldstein, and Catalog Director Ken Druker.

Winner of the Audience Award and the Special Jury Award for Writing and Directing at the IFP/West Los Angeles Film Festival, Kissing Jessica Stein chronicles a neurotic New York journalist's search for romance. After surprising herself by responding to a “women-seeking-women" ad in the newspaper, she begins a relationship that is both earnest and hilarious.

Kissing Jessica Stein has been called “a smart and delightful comedy" by Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times and “one of the most winning romantic comedies in years… as unpredictable as it is charming" by Entertainment Weekly. Kissing Jessica Stein opens in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Toronto on March 13th, 2002, with more cities during the following weeks.

Kissing Jessica Stein-Soundtrack [314 589 646-2] available on CD March 19th, 2002.