STACK Magazine December Issue 122

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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
creation; it’s ‘soulful’ as
opposed to ‘soul power’.
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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
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.
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
big, strong, gospel
roots. I thought,
‘we’ll get some
other singers
involved’ and that’s
when I thought of
Clairy Brown. A lot of
these songs on the record
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
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.
ARTIST OF NOTE MUSIC
Paul kelly’s merri soul
W?’
Paul Kelly Presents
the Merri Soul Sessions
is out December 12 via
Gawdaggie/Universal.
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.”
Kelly on record
DECEMBER 2014 JB HI-FI
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.
It’s more
intense when a
woman sings it.
Especially with a
lyric like that.
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