Today, Portland-based musical act NU SHOOZ announced the release of a new take on their classic '80s hit single. "I Can't Wait: Unplugged," an R&B and jazz-influenced version of the original track, will be available in record stores and via digital download beginning in October 2006. The song will also be distributed to radio and streaming Internet stations nationwide.


The group has come together to update "I Can't Wait" to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its peak position at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1986. The original track endures as one of the most often played hits of the '80s, currently airing on radio worldwide every 12 minutes (based on BMI royalty data). The song has appeared on multiple compilations and has been frequently sampled, most recently in the 2005 Natalie single "I Can't Wait," as well as by Spyder D, Naughty By Nature, Vanessa Williams and others.


NU SHOOZ earned a Gold Album in 1987 for Poolside and was nominated for a "Best New Artist" Grammy Award. The band appeared on numerous well-known music programs, including American Bandstand, Solid Gold and the UK's Tops of the Pops, and toured and performed with '80s chart-toppers including Tina Turner, the Pointer Sisters, Billy Ocean and Morris Day and the Time.


NU SHOOZ has chosen to independently release "I Can't Wait: Unplugged" on its own label, Poolside Music. The band will leverage direct-to-consumer digital delivery of the single on iTunes and Rhapsody, and will distribute it to radio directly and through a feature on the industry compilation CD, "Jim Nelson's A Taste of Triple A." Long play, dance mix and instrumental versions will round out a four-song EP, which will be available to fans online through CD Baby and in major and independent record stores via indie-focused Burnside Distribution.


For all the latest NU SHOOZ news, visit www.nushoozmusic.com.