Soul UK
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Soul UK | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 July 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2011 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 63:32 | |||
| Label | Hurricane Records | |||
| Producer | Future Cut, Martin Terefe | |||
| Beverley Knight chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Soul UK | ||||
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Soul UK is the seventh studio album by the English singer-songwriter Beverley Knight. The album was released on 4 July 2011, and features covers of British soul songs that inspired her whilst growing up. The album includes a live DVD of the tracks, filmed on 7 April at the Porchester Hall in London.[1]
In the press release for Soul UK, Knight explained her choice to make and release an album of cover versions. She stated "I gave a lot of thought to choosing the songs I wanted to interpret for this album and it was great fun putting my own flavour and twist on tracks by some of the fantastic UK artists who preceded me and inspired me. A lot these artists opened doors for both myself and many others, and many of them are still going strong – so the album is, in part, a thank you to them. The UK is a world-beating producer of musical talent and this genre can sometimes feel overlooked and underplayed. I hope with this album that people can enjoy these songs all over again and in some cases discover them for the first time."[2]
On her official site, Knight gave a track-by-track rundown of the album, explaining the inspiration behind recording each track that features. She introduced it by explaining, "Welcome to Soul UK, my celebration of some of the home grown artists and soulful tracks that have inspired me. Some of these artists have had enormously successful careers, others have had glimpses of success, and others have never really been given due attention and respect. All these songs, artists and writers have in various ways contributed to my own career in music, and deserve to be recognised for cutting a path that enabled me and every other British Soul/Urban act without exception to walk more easily. This is why I have made this album, it is a labour of love, and my tribute to heroes both celebrated and unsung."[3]
The album features production from producer Martin Terefe, who has worked with James Morrison and Jason Mraz, along with London production duo, Future Cut who have worked with both Lily Allen and Beyoncé.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Blues & Soul | (8/10)[5] |
| The Daily Telegraph |   [6] |
| Daily Mirror | [7] |
| Daily Express | (4/5)[8] |
Emery Bairns of Blues & Soul gave the album an 8 out of 10 rating.[5]
Track listing
The full track listing was confirmed by iTunes.[9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fairplay" | Rose Windross, Beresford Romeo, Nellee Hooper | Martin Terefe | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Southern Freeez" | Peter Maas, John Rocca, Andy Stennett | Martin Terefe | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Mama Used to Say" | Bob Carter, Junior Giscombe | Martin Terefe | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Say I'm Your Number One" | Stock Aitken Waterman | Future Cut | 4:25 |
| 5. | "When You Gonna Learn" | Jay Kay | Martin Terefe | 4:55 |
| 6. | "Apparently Nothin'" (featuring Glen Scott & Roots Manuva) | Carleen Anderson, Marco Nelson | Martin Terefe | 5:55 |
| 7. | "There's Nothing Like This" (featuring Michael Jai) | Hammer | Future Cut | 4:52 |
| 8. | "Don't Be a Fool" | Phillip Linton, Carl McIntosh, Kenny Nicholas, Trevor Jacobs, Sunay Suleyman | Future Cut | 4:10 |
| 9. | "Always and Forever" | Rod Temperton | Martin Terefe | 5:38 |
| 10. | "Round and Around" | Derek Bramble | Martin Terefe | 4:54 |
| 11. | "Cuddly Toy" | Andrew Roachford | Martin Terefe | 3:56 |
| 12. | "Damn" | Lewis Taylor | Martin Terefe | 6:12 |
| 13. | "One More Try" | George Michael | Martin Terefe | 5:41 |
| Total length: | 63:32 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Southern Freeez" (Live) | 5:18 |
| 15. | "Say I'm Your Number One" (Live) | 4:31 |
| 16. | "Always and Forever" (Live) | 5:51 |
| 17. | "Fairplay" (Live) | 4:47 |
| 18. | "Damn" (Live) | 6:36 |
| Total length: | 89:34 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Live Concert Film of Soul UK: Introduction" (featuring Roachford, Jazzie B, Jaki Graham, Junior & Rod Temperton) | |
| 2. | "Southern Freeez" | |
| 3. | "Fairplay" | |
| 4. | "When You Gonna Learn" | |
| 5. | "Apparently Nothin'" | |
| 6. | "One More Try" | |
| 7. | "Round and Around" | |
| 8. | "There's Nothing Like This" | |
| 9. | "Always and Forever" | |
| 10. | "Mama Used to Say" | |
| 11. | "Cuddly Toy" | |
| 12. | "Interviews with Beverley and the original artists" |
Singles
Knight confirmed whilst performing at London's Porchester Hall, at the album launch show, in April 2011, that the first single from the album would be "Mama Used to Say", a cover of the Junior single, which peaked number 7 in the UK in 1982.[11] The single was released on 27 June 2011.[12] The second single was Knight's version of Roachford's "Cuddly Toy", released on 28 August 2011, while the third was Knight's version of George Michael's "One More Try", released on 23 October 2011. "Round and Around", originally recorded by Jaki Graham was released as the fourth single from Soul UK on 12 February 2012.[citation needed]
Original artists
- "Fairplay" by Soul II Soul (1988) (UK #63)
- "Southern Freeez" by Freeez (1981) (UK #8)
- "Mama Used to Say" by Junior (1982) (UK #7)
- "Say I'm Your Number One" by Princess (1985) (UK #7)
- "When You Gonna Learn" by Jamiroquai (1992) (UK #28)
- "Apparently Nothin'" by Young Disciples (1991) (UK #13)
- "There's Nothing Like This" by Omar (1991) (UK #14)
- "Don't Be a Fool" by Loose Ends (1990) (UK #13)
- "Always and Forever" by Heatwave (1977) (UK #9)
- "Round and Around" by Jaki Graham (1985) (UK #9)
- "Cuddly Toy" by Roachford (1988) (UK #4)
- "Damn" by Lewis Taylor (1996)
- "One More Try" by George Michael (1988) (UK #8)
Information lifted from the liner notes on Soul UK.
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Singles Chart[13] | 27 |
| UK Albums Chart[14] | 13 |
