STACK #122 Dec 2015

MUSIC

ARTIST OF NOTE

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Paul kelly’s merri soul Paul Kelly’s latest album, The Merri Soul Sessions , sees him employ several guest singers for the soul-flavoured project. He spoke to Jonathan Alley.

This seems to have come about very naturally: does all the best music happen that way? Making this record was like a long, slowly unfolding accident. The original thought was an EP based around Sweet Guy . Vika had been singing that live for the last few years with my band – it’s how I originally imagined the song. I had a songwriting session with Dan Sultan, we wrote a couple of tunes, and I thought they might be good. They seem to have a

W hen an artist has been making music for as long as Australian songwriting icon Paul Kelly, it pays to change things up every now and then. Accordingly, his new album comes with a twist – most of the soulfully bent songs are sung by other vocalists. While there’s a powerful re-recording of his famous Sweet Guy, this is otherwise a set of brand new Paul Kelly songs (including a couple of co-writes) worked up by him and close knit musical friends, essentially live in the studio. Nothing here sounds laboured over or worked into the ground. Recorded in Melbourne’s inner north on the banks of the Merri Creek, The Merri Soul Sessions sees Kelly with members of his regular touring band in cahoots with the likes of Vika and Linda Bull, Dan Sultan, Kiru Puru, and Clairy Browne (of Banging Rackettes fame). And while the album isn’t straight, classic soul in the vein of the great moments of Stax and Motown, it has a celebratory lightness that reflects the easygoing circumstances of its

W?’

It’s more intense when a woman sings it. Especially with a lyric like that.

certain flavour that sits – when a few songs start talking to each other, it helps write a couple more. It’s like a snowball effect.

big, strong, gospel roots. I thought, ‘we’ll get some other singers involved’ and that’s when I thought of

where Moe Tucker always sang a Lou Reed song, or The Triffids where Jillian Birt always sang. Sweet Guy is a well-known Paul Kelly song: does the context change whenVika sings it? It’s pretty obvious it’s written from a woman’s point of view. Over my records, there’s often a song that’s specific, from a woman’s point of view – even though I’m singing it. It’s much more intense when a woman sings it, especially with a lyric like that. Missy Higgins has just covered two of your songs on her OZ album.Your thoughts? I particularly like Everybody Wants to Touch Me. It’s a funny old song, so I’m glad it got a new life. I didn’t think many people would cover that one, but it’s funny that she’s recorded it when she’s pregnant.

Clairy Brown. A lot of these songs on the record

There’s a certain leaning to soul in the record. How did that come about? Probably more musically than lyrically, in my mind anyway; songs that had more of a soul aesthetic, quite direct lyrics. Dan Sultan and I had written these two songs. We immediately thought, ‘this song – Smells like Rain – would be good for Linda to sing, and this one – What You Want – would be good for Vika’ . Then I was thinking, ‘maybe we should make this like a soul type record’. I don’t mean like a retro thing, but more a certain way of writing and approaching a song. When you say you had some songs that spoke to one another, what do you mean? They made me think of other singers. My voice is not a soul voice, but I would call Dan Sultan a soul voice. Vika and Linda with

are songs that I think would suit other voices. That’s what I mean about songs relating. I guess they’re songs where I hear that voice – I’d imagine it to be like a torch song, almost like a cabaret song. I needed to find somebody like a torch singer. I thought of Kira Puru, after seeing her on YouTube doing a song called One Eye Open , which I recommend. Merri Soul Sessions has more guest singers than any other Paul Kelly album. In the final analysis, has it worked out how you envisaged it? I don’t know what took me so long! I think it would be a good way to do records again in the future. Maybe not to the extent of having most of the singers be women, but I’ve always loved bands like The Velvet Underground

creation; it’s ‘soulful’ as opposed to ‘soul power’.

Paul Kelly Presents the Merri Soul Sessions is out December 12 via Gawdaggie/Universal.

Kelly on record

The Merri Soul Sessions was launched via a series of deluxe seven inch singles. Similarly, the full album is available on limited edition 180 gram vinyl, and as a standard edition. Of all people, you’d assume Paul Kelly has a big record

collection. But oddly, although he’s a huge music aficionado, the answer is no. “I started travelling when I was 17. I went to people’s places and made cassettes off the vinyl because I was moving around,” he says.

“As music becomes ever more easily available digitally, there’s still a yearning for this beautifully made thing. I always try to do my records on vinyl: I want to make something that people want to hold in their hand, and put it in their house.”

DECEMBER 2014 JB HI-FI www.jbhifi.com.au/music

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