Music: Alice Russell
Jeff Hemmings catches up with the mighty soul singer
Suffolk born and raised Alice Russell first came to prominence as a singer, particularly with the explosive vintage funk outfit Quantic Soul Orchestra and the Latin house music band Bah Samba in the early noughties, before striking out as a solo singer, in tandem with long time musical partner Al Cowans. Latest album To Dust is her best yet. “It’s a bit dark – To Dust was about stuff weighing me down, I lost a couple of friends [including her father who passed away last year]. The lyrics are a little bit more down,” she says, somewhat at odds with the irritatingly eternal sunny optimists that dominate the world of soul music.
One track, ‘Heartbreaker’, was released as a single with an accompanying video featuring none other than Harry Shearer (Ned Flanders, Derek Smalls et al). “He’s a die-hard music fan, and we got to know him from the Quantic Soul Orchestra days when he came to one of my gigs. I got to know him and his wife, who I have sung backing vocals for. Me and Steve Glashier
were sitting down and he was saying I don’t want a narrative for this video, you know, boy meets girl crap, and he said why don’t you ask Harry? So I emailed him. It was a tall order as we couldn’t pay him anything, but he blagged a film crew and a hotel room, and Harry did it – he was amazing, so professional. He has places in New Orleans, LA and London. I’d like that, I’d like a few places around… just one place would be good! Just a hut in one of those hot places would be good!”Perhaps it may happen one day for Alice continues to gain fans and accolades. It’s been a slow developing solo career but one that is starting to pay dividends. And of course it’s that voice that is really happening… a deeply powerful instrument, a voice that really is soulful; rarely does she perform vocal gymnastics for the sake of it. Controlled passion is what she does best, as well as having an ear for experimentation.
She continues to work with Quantic (Will Holland) and his band Combo Barbaro, releasing an album a couple of years ago, Look Around The Corner, recorded in Colombia. “Yeah, we’re talking about doing another album. The last one we did in Cali in Colombia, it was a very nice thing to do – we did it with all those Cumbia guys plus me, Will and Mikey. It’s very infectious music, none of that boy girl stuff, you just dance. And all they sell is beer and rum, which I love!”
Coming to the end of an eventful year she’s snatching a few days in her hometown Brighton before heading off again. “It feels like it has been alright this year, still pushing away, still trying to break through that glass ceiling that seems to be there,” she says. “But we’re touring lovely places around the world, can’t complain! We’ve been away a lot but at the end of this tour we’ll stop until next summer… I’m going to do some recording. I’m quite excited by that.”
Alice Russell, Coalition, Friday 29 November, 7.30pm, £12.50
