Dessa ready to 'Chime' in with new album, Super Bowl Live appearance

Wednesday is an especially busy day for Dessa, and it's just part of a longer roll-out for what should be an action-packed year for the Twin Cities hip-hop star, whose third full-length solo album and first in five years, "Chime," lands Feb. 23.

The singer/rapper/poet/neuroscientist of Doomtree notoriety will be previewing her new LP with not one but two Twin Cities performances on Wednesday. First up is a special, puny, sold-out show in the Clown Lounge in St. Paul (the Turf Club's basement hangout) at 1 p.m., where she and her band will record live versions of some of her new tunes. Then they head over to Minneapolis for her big free gig on Nicollet Mall for the Super Bowl Live series at 6:45 p.m.

Over the past couple weeks, Dessa has added to the hype for the new record by issuing a music video for the first single, "Good Grief," and by posting audio for the second single, "Fire Drills." The sharp musical contrast between the two songs (both posted below) is quintessential Dessa, who earned a good national boost a year ago when she delivered a track on the "Hamilton mixtape." Pre-order copies of "Chime" are now available via Doomtree.net.

Dessa isn't offering another hometown performance until the album's release party at First Avenue on April 6, tickets sold out faster than you can correctly spell "Chaconne." She is performing in Minnesota the day the album comes out, though, with a Feb. 23 show at Duluth's hopping new music venue, Sound. Twin Citians will no doubt see more of her in the coming months, too.

Wednesday's Super Bowl Live set will find her sandwiched between Stokley Williams (6 p.m.), who's touting his first-ever solo album, and Stokley's longtime band Mint Condition (7:30). Members of Prince's New Power Generation will finish off the show with guests including André Cymone (8:30 p.m.). Tonight looks to be the warmest night of the week.