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Beverley Knight Interview |
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Monday, 07 May 2007 |
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 'Music City Soul' is Knight's fourth studio album for Parlophone and was recorded in 5 days in Nashville (known as 'Music City' due to its rich musical heritage) late last year. The album sees Beverley adopting a live, organic soul sound that pushes her gospel roots to the fore - and the result is electric. The album is produced by Mark Nevers (producer of last year's acclaimed Candi Staton album) and features a fine collection of local Tennessee musicians who have played with legends such as Elvis Presley and Al Green.
'Music City Soul' also features the guitar playing of legendary Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood on three tracks: 'Every Time You See Me Smile', 'Black Butta' and 'Ain't That A Lot Of Love'. Wood, a long time fan of Knight's, offered his services after she played a gig with him in 2005 and he adds his flavour here in style.
UKMusic.com catches up with Beverley Knight to talk about her new album and UK tour, and her opinions on the UK music scene.
Why is your new album called Music City Soul?
It’s a place in Nashville, Tennessee known as Music City which is where I recorded the album. There’s a company called Music City Cabs and an area called Music Row. Nashville’s purpose in life is to create music so Music City Soul just seemed really appropriate to sum up what I was doing over there.
What was it like recording out there?
I’d been there many times before but only to write and not record. Recording was a whole different trip and it was over so quickly because the calibre of musicians I was working with was incredible. I liked it because it was how I imagined Motown back in the day, really regular and ordinary looking, not like a snotty studio. It was a house with a setup inside so I felt comfortable there.
Was Nashville exactly how it’s shown in films?
It does have that whole Southern thing with the cowboy hats and the women with big hair with way too much make-up and flags outside everyone’s house. When I got into the music side like the bars and the clubs I felt more at home.
What are the main differences between the material you recorded this time and your previous albums?
This was recorded utterly live as opposed to having live elements which made all the difference. I had musicians and background singers in the room with me at the same time and what we did in the studio is what you hear with no corrections or programmed beats. It was entirely different to how I had recorded before and because of that the sound of the record is very different to what you would have heard before. I read that Sam Cooke is quite an inspiration to you.
What is it about his music that touches you?
Sam grew up doing church music and then switched into making secular Pop/Soul records. When I look at his life I see that my life took a similar turn. I also grew up in the church doing Gospel music, and then made the switch when I was writing songs into mainstream music. When I was a kid his voice would just get into me and move me. Nobody before him had sung in that raw, passionate way and that made me want to move people in the way he did to me. You’re going on tour later on in the year.
Are you looking forward to that?
Yeah definitely, I’m going on rehearsals for the tour as soon as I’ve got all the festivals out of the way. It’s gonna be so heavy I tell you! I’m really looking forward to it because this album is essentially a live album and it will be so easy to make the transition onto a stage and have people see the album in front of their eyes. I can’t wait!
Have you ever thought of putting on a big show like Kylie or artists like that?
Not really because it costs too frigging much for a start! The production is huge for those Pop shows and I don’t really think I’m at that stage as yet. If I did a show with the big lights I’d take my inspiration from someone like Prince or Earth Wind And Fire as opposed to what my boys Take That did. It was an outrageous show and I could not do a show like that. It just wouldn’t suit my music or style. I’m much more of musician but that’s not to say it’s just some guys with guitars on the stage. When I do my shows they do have some sort of staging and dressing to them.
Where do you think British music is going at the moment?
I love what’s going on in the UK, it’s really varied. People like The Fratellis, The Kooks and The Kaiser Chiefs are doing really well. There are other interesting things coming through as well like the rise and rise of the singer-songwriter like Paolo Nutini, James Morrison, Amy [Winehouse] and people like that are coming through really strong. We always whinge about ‘oh there’s nothing out there’ but there is, you just have to look.
What about Urban music?
The Urban field still needs a lot of work because it’s still far too underground for my liking. Obviously there’s a certain element of it is underground such as Grime, which I’m kind of too old for! It’s those really young and talented kids making music like that, I don’t understand half of what comes out of their mouths nowadays. Those kind of kids need some kind of forum of people to hear them as well. I’m always going to fight the corner of the Urban sound because I know how hard it is. I know artists out there like Terri Walker, Kevin Mark Trail and Kele Le Roc are still making music but we’re not hearing them enough. Give it more help and more love!
You were awarded an MBE from the Queen. What was it like meeting her?
I didn’t know what to expect but I knew it would be very formal. My mum and dad were wetting themselves with excitement! For me, I was more excited watching them than the actual thing itself until I got up there. I remember being very impressed when I made it up there. I thought the Queen would wear her crown but she didn’t and to be honest, that’s what I was thinking about!
You’ve also done a lot of charity work. Who are you supporting right now?
I’m always supporting the Terrence Higgins Trust, they are my people. I’m a patron of the THT trying to raise awareness about AIDS and HIV. There’s a charity called Health Initiative which focuses on the sexual health of young people. I still think kids aren’t encouraged enough to talk about sexual health matters. They are still giggling about it and their parents are still telling them to shut up. Health Initiative are trying to set up a walk-in clinic where people can go in there for someone to talk to about pregnancy, contraception, STDs and other related topics. I’ve always been working with Christian Aid as well. They’re not some Christian holy moley organisation because if they were, I probably wouldn’t work with them. They tend to support other small charities around the world. They send me to Salvador in Brazil to look at how people are fighting back from poverty and AIDS. They organise dances and marches to raise awareness. I thought ‘wow, there’s so much we can learn from these people.’ The work they send me to do is really interesting and I came back really humbled. It’s important in my life for me to do these things and I’m glad to have that chance.
You went to University and gained a degree in Theology. Was that a good experience for you?
It was hard flaming work! I don’t think Uni is for everyone but everyone who wants to go, should be given the chance to get there. At the moment it’s too damn expensive for a lot of folk to get there. When I went back in the day, sounding like I’m ancient, the government gave us a grant. The grant then turned into a loan and the loans are trying to cripple kids who end up in serious debt which is awful. The grant was crap but at least it was free money! It’s ridiculous what you have to do to get an education. I was glad to go to Uni because it had me questioning and thinking. You start to learn those things at school but it’s at Uni where you form your own ideas and argue back. The books sent me cross eyed though!
Beverley Knight’s new album ‘Music City Soul’ is released 7th May 2007.
Useful link: www.beverleyknight.com
Words By Rashmi Shastri
Photography: Max Dodson (Copyright EMI Music Ltd 2007)
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Who's supposed to nurture that scene? It should be a responsability equally shared by established artists and industry people to create infrastructures for the urban scene to develope and for up & coming artists to grow without having to compromise their sound to "make it".
Anyway, good luck to Beverley with her new album, I sincerely hope it does well. Even if I don't fully understand why going to Nashville to record, what's wrong with British studios & producers???