Joe Cocker working on new album

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Joe Cocker is putting the final touches on "Hard Knocks," his 21st album, aiming to release it in North America this fall, 429 Records said Monday.

Due out Nov. 22, the CD is a collection of nine new songs plus a cover version of the Dixie Chicks' "I Hope," the label said.

Recording sessions for the album took place in producer Matt Serletic's Emblem Studios in Los Angeles.

"I don't really know what you would call this album: 'rock/pop'? It's a little more pop than I've been into for quite a while, so it would scare me sometimes," Cocker said in a statement. "I would do the basic tracks and then Matt would go away and do some of these overdubs and he had all these electronic things on there. It was sometimes like, 'Oh, my god!' But I wanted to work with Matt very much. And I always knew what kind of record we would be making."