What a Concept: Patti LaBelle Sings Diane Warren

With No. 1 songs recorded by acts ranging from Aerosmith to Trisha Yearwood to her credit, songwriter Diane Warren has become the reigning queen of radio singles.

Now she’s upping the ante--and scale--to album level, with a full “concept” set for R&B; veteran Patti LaBelle.

The project, titled “When a Woman Loves,” is a song cycle chronicling a female perspective on the roller-coaster of romance.

“I’d had this idea of a concept,” says Warren, whose vast catalog of hits includes Celine Dion’s “If You Asked Me To” and “Because You Loved Me” and Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart.”

“I had this [title] song for four or five years, kept it in a drawer and wanted something special for it. At one point I thought of maybe building a TV show around it, but then the VH1 ‘Divas’ thing happened, which was kind of the same format. And then it turned out that Patti was thinking about doing an album of my songs, which is a total honor, and I thought, ‘Why not put the two ideas together?’ ”

For LaBelle, it was a chance to collaborate with one of her favorite songwriters, one who has previously provided her with a steady stream of tunes, including the first version of “If You Asked Me To.”

“Anybody’s songs I found myself loving on the radio, I’d find out later that she’d written it,” says LaBelle. “I don’t really see this as a concept album. I just see it as wonderful songs, age-appropriate songs for a 55-year-old woman at a time when most pop songs are for teens, very repetitious and sing-along-able. Her songs have real lyrics, and I’m very honored.”

It’s not the first time a singer has done an entire album of Warren songs--Johnny Mathis did one a few years ago using selections from her catalog. But it’s the first time she’s written all-new material for such a project. As such, she says, it’s as close as we’re likely to get to a Diane Warren album.

“Yeah, but much better sung,” she quips.

The album is currently being recorded in Los Angeles, with the team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis producing seven songs and Warren overseeing several others along with MCA senior vice president of artists and repertoire Randy Jackson and co-producer Chris Kellow. It will probably be released by MCA in May.

“This is not your typical pop concept album,” says Jackson. “It’s not all ballads and mid-tempo songs, but some upbeat ones as well, and a couple of guest artists. We want it to be more than just a collection of nice songs.”

In fact, evoking the “Divas” image again, a second version of the title song will be featured with an all-star roster of female vocalists--though all involved are staying mum about who is on the roster until the deals are confirmed. And explorations are being made to follow through on Warren’s original notion and turn the album into a TV special featuring the same lineup of guests.

Warren cautions, though, that this is not the first step toward something even more ambitious, such as a Broadway musical.

“I so don’t want to write a musical,” she says. “Like, yeah, I want to spend two years doing something and have it open and close in two days. I’m a child of the radio, grew up wanting to hear my songs in the car. I know a lot of people who do want to write musicals, but it ain’t for me.”

BODY ROCK: When you see the new video the band Lit just shot for its next single, “Miserable,” you’ll probably recognize the female torso atop which the band will appear to be performing (thanks to digital effects). But just in case, the group wants to give Pamela Anderson Lee notice in a corner credits box that will appear at the beginning and end of the clip’s airings on MTV.

What’s more, the band wants the credit to read “Pamela Anderson Lee as Vallery Irons,” which is the character the actress plays on her syndicated action series “V.I.P.” Not coincidentally, Lit in December shot a guest appearance in a “V.I.P.” episode scheduled to run in February.

No nonmusical guest has ever been given screen credit for a video appearance on MTV before--not Robin Williams in Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” not Alicia Silverstone in her star-making Aerosmith series of videos, not Deion Sanders in MC Hammer’s “2 Legit 2 Quit,” not Lee herself in hubby Tommy Lee’s recent “Naked” with his band Methods of Mayhem.

And it’s still far from certain that it will happen this time, as MTV hasn’t yet even been approached about the matter.

“We can’t judge something we haven’t seen or even been approached about yet,” says MTV spokeswoman Linda Alexander.

ANCHORS AWEIGH: Peter Jennings had a lot to deal with anchoring the “ABC 2000” New Year’s coverage. But his credibility would have been a bit better in his role of VJ as the network sampled various concert offerings if he hadn’t called the band headlining a big Florida show “the” Phish. Don’t look for Jennings to fill in for Carson Daly on “TRL” any time soon.

EXEX CORREX: The title of Warner Bros. Records executive Andy Schoun was given incorrectly in Pop Eye’s annual music industry report (Dec. 26). Schoun, who is leaving the label, has been its general manager, not president. Phil Quartararo is president both of the label and of Warner Bros. Records Inc., which operates Warner Bros., Reprise Records and other subsidiary labels.