Here’s another reason why I love my website…I get to know people with similar taste in music plus I get the chance to interview some of my longtime favourite artists like Carleen Anderson. Her recent album and first on Dome Records is one of her most impressive yet and if you don’t have a copy of Soul Providence yet, I have my doubts that you’re really into soul music *grin*.
In the jazz-not-jazz interview Carleen talks amongst other things about her new album, the sessions for her duets with Paul Weller and Jocelyn Brown, life in the UK and her job as tutor at the Brighton Institute Of Modern Music.
Q: Please tell me something about the recording process of Soul
Providence. How long did it take you to complete the album and what was your motivation to record an album that’s much more of a soul album than your two previous albums where you’ve tried to incorporate other musical influences?
Carleen Anderson: I’ve always tried to include all of my musical influences in each of my albums. This album has as much as any of the influences I’ve performed previously, but this time, Soul Music has gradually re-integrated into the culture with contemporary production techniques more in line with the roots music I deliver to a primed market. The youth culture has taken a liking to authentic sounds combined with the technology which allows for me to record with a live band, including sampling and music programming as well, without having to sacrifice my inspirational creativity. The graduation of sampled music to the fusion of the live band element is heard in young artists like Beyonce, Vanessa Brown and Lemar, all of whom I rate as excellent. The actual recording time was about 3 months, but preparation, songwriting, demos, pre-production, etc., was over the course of about 15 months. Some of the songs were written within the past 2 years, others had origins from over 20 years ago, but only now was complete as compositions since other musical influences and performance maturity came about.
Q: What was it like to record a duet with Paul Weller and Jocelyn Brown?
Carleen Anderson: Recording duets with Paul Weller and Jocelyn Brown was absolutely a magnificent experience! For both, the plan to record a duet had been on the back burner for a while, it just so happened circumstances surfaced to finally get it done in time with the album process. With Paul, finding the right cover song was the priority and once the idea of Micheal Jackson’s single with the Jackson Five of Leon Ware’s ‘Wanna Be Where You Are’, popped in my head, Paul gave his enthusiastic immediate concurrence. ‘Wanna Be Where You Are’ also appears on Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On’ album for about a minute’s groove. Both versions made me a lifelong fan of this classic song. The song Jocelyn and I sang I’d written just before my son and I moved to England. Jocelyn’s dynamic vocals show further her tremendous skill and power. She and I both are trained in Christian beliefs as taught by the Church of God in Christ, a Pentecostal protestant faith originating in Memphis, Tennessee, organized nationally in 1903, with an exclusive doctrine which made singing with her a spiritually uplifting connection through music. There are subtle codes within religious sects, and for Jocelyn and I, singing style references unique to the ‘holy roller’ musical environment, the exuberant outbursts of praise with very African tribal characteristics, like spell binding chants, screams, wails, etc., recognition of similar journeys brought great restitution for my weary soul and recording Parting The Waters with Jocelyn was the proper revival necessary.
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