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Beverley Knight

Nashville, "Music City", Tennessee October 2006: On the eve of her sell out 2006 UK tour UK Soul Queen, Beverley Knight stepped onto a plane to record her 5th studio album. That 5 day trip to Southern USA, to record a collection of songs written and demo'd in London over the preceeding months, resulted in an electric session and an album the like of which 34 year old Knight says had been waiting her 12 year career to record: Music City Soul.

Knight arrived in Nashville and met the album's producer Mark Nevers, who produced 2006's critically acclaimed Candi Staton album. "We had talked through the songs several times over the phone" says Knight, who was sending him through demos as they were written, through the summer of '06, with the likes of Guy Chambers, Eg White, Jimmy Hogarth and Martin Brammer, "but meeting him in the flesh I knew this album was going to be amazing. To be able to record live in a session in Mark's little southern style house-cum-studio in 'Music City' was a dream come true. Then when I met the musicians and discovered that Jim the guitarist had played with Elvis and Derek the pianist played with Al Green I knew it was going to be really special. We did most songs in just one take - it just felt so right."

After a couple of days rehearsing and getting to know the background singers (who went to the same church as Whitney Houston) they were ready for the session. They blasted through 12 songs in 3 days. Hammond and piano in the living room, 3 BV's in the corridor, rhythm section in the conservatory and Beverley in the middle in a DIY vocal booth. "I've spent a long time wishing I could essentially do a whole album with one producer and the same musicians and thereby capture more of what I do live on stage - with Music City Soul I think I achieved that." And the critics agreed. No bells, no whistles, just fine musicians, great songs and outstanding singing. Music City Soul charted in the UK Top 10 in May last 2007, giving Knight her 3rd Top 10 album (Affirmation missed the mark by one place, charting at 11 in 2005), and bringing her career album sales tally to over 1 million.

Knight is indeed a survivor - still standing, still growing while many who emerged at the same time as her in the mid 90's - some surrounded by far more hype - have come and gone. Knight's awesome voice has featured on a catalogue of hits spanning the 12 years since her club classic debut, Flavour of the Old School, burst onto the burgeoning UK urban scene of 1995. Four gold selling albums and 12 Top 40 hits, all contained on 2006's "Voice - The Best of Beverly Knight" neatly chart the development of her talents as a vocalist and songwriter over a decade that saw many styles come and go. "Voice" took up residence in the Top 10 in March 2006, and was certified platinum selling more than 300,000 copies.

The opening single of that collection of hits - Beverley's interpretation of the Janis Joplin/Irma Franklin classic "Piece of My Heart" - was the first seed of her latest album. Why that song? "Well, I was first invited to sing it on stage with Ronnie Wood and that gave me the idea to do it on the tour and then record it. I also knew that the organic approach to the recording was a great signpost to what I was about to do for Music City Soul, so it made perfect sense," says Knight. And the meeting with Stones legend (and soul fan) Wood resulted in him offering to play guitar on Music City Soul - his playing features on three tracks on the album.

Single-minded singer-songwriter Knight has never wanted to be penned in to one tight genre of R&B: "I'm not a soul purist." She says, "my roots are in gospel and in R&B also - but in the old sense of the term - rhythm and blues. Just because I'm a black female singer don't expect me to do just one thing. The tracks I love best are just great songs really. Everything in R&B has become so producer-lead and over-produced of lade, so going back to basics for the Music City Soul just seemed to make sense."

Knight collected an MBE in 2007 for services to music and charity and has seen her profile increase with the general public thanks to appearance on two series of hit BBC1 show Just The Two Of Us. "I did have to have my arm twisted to do that show," she admits, "and you're not about to see me with ice skates on or chewing bugs in the jungle, but in the end it was great fun and the key was that it was actually about singing. I think a lot of people discovered me for the first time on that show." Knight has also presented 3 series of her radio show Beverley's Gospel Nights for Radio 2.

Knight's career has already seen her win 3 Mobo awards, with yet another nomination last year, as well as several Mercury and Brit Award nominations, and has sung by invitation for a host of celebrity fans including David Bowie, Mohammed Ali, Nelson Mandela and even the leaders of the G8. She has also sung on stage with artists from Chaka Khan to Bryan Adams and on record with Musiq Soul Child, Jay Kay, Jools Holland and Courtney Pine, to name a few. Beverley also performed with Take That in 2006 as special guest on their sell out Arent and Stadium tour, playing her own set as well as appearing on stage with the boys for a show stopping rendition of "Relight My Fire".

2007 proved to be another year of firsts and thrills for Beverley. She sung with Candi Staton for her Radio 2 show, as well as playing a storming set at the Montreux Jazz Festival where she joined George Benson and Al Jarreau on stage, and the V Festival, followed by her biggest ever UK tour, including a triumphant sell-out show at London's Royal Albert Hall. The highlight of her year and perhaps even her musical career (life?) so far was supporting her idol Prince on two of his sell out O2 Arena shows in August and September 2007. Not only did she join him on stage at his after show jams but HE joined Her while she played her own set, playing guitar to Piece of My Heart and Keep This Fire Burning.

It was an unforgettable experience and an endorsement from a musical genius. In fact it was possibly the start of an ongoing relationship. "I'd love to work with him again," says Knight, "and it will happen - when the time is right." As 2007 draws to a close Knight's thoughts turn to the future - a few months' rest and then back into the studio to record album #6, due out in early 2009. Whatever comes next, one thing is for sure - Knight's thrilling ride is set to continue for a long time to come.

UPDATE FEB 08: February 22nd: Prince flies Knight to Los Angeles to perform on stage with him at his post-Oscars party, attended by the cream of Hollywood, where the pair were joined on-stage by another music legend - in the form of Stevie Wonder.

UPDATE JAN 09: Beverley is currently putting the finishing touches to her as-yet untitled 6th studio album due out this summer.

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