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Sony Music
Released: February 24, 2004 |
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Finley Quaye
Finley Quaye's latest record, his third, entitled Much More Than Much Love arrives at a prescient time for the British singer-songwriter and the music industry in general. Quaye has always delivered music that is both innovative and deeply individual, with honest and open reflections on his personal state of mind. His third album encapsulates a new chapter in his career, Quaye mines the past and excavates the present to make the sounds of a bright future 'It's good to be coming back,' he grins, flashing his trademark open-mouthed smile. 'I think people want to hear decent, strong songwriters again.'
His new album couldn't have been better timed. Recorded over the past 18 months, in studios across London, Sheffield and Leeds, and featuring the inimitable production of William Orbit and long time collaborators Bacon and Quarmby. Quaye's third record is his most inspiring to date. 'It sounds more optimistic,' admits Quaye. 'I had fun making it, and I think that vibe really comes across.'
When Finley burst out into the mainstream in 1997, he quickly established himself, alongside Bobbie Gillespie and Noel Gallagher, as one of a handful of innovative British songwriters, with a unique star quality that few artist truly posses. With early hits 'Sunday Shining', 'Even After All' and the much sought after 'Ultra Stimulation EP', Quaye encapsulated the heady summer of 1997. In fact, Maverick a Strike won him a Brit Award for 'Best Male Artist' in 1998 and was certified triple platinum. 'I was very lucky,' he laughs. 'There was a real shortage of strong songwriters around. And that is all I have ever been interested in. Not much has changed since then. I just want to try and write the best songs I can. If I can compile my notes and lyrics into a coherent song -well, that's just about as good as it gets.'
He refused to rest on his laurels. In 2000, Quaye followed up his groundbreaking debut record with Vanguard an altogether darker album that hinted at the turmoil of life on the road, the pressures of fame, and being in the spotlight finally taking their toll.
Here in 2003, and his latest record has Quaye reinvent the quality of his songwriting once more and is a very obvious step forward from troubled times of the past. On a record that easily flits from glorious West Coast country rock (Something to Say), reggae and dub (Pearls of Wisdom), simple stripped down country/folk on a cover of The Carter Family's "Lovers Return", to the warm ambience of dance, Quaye embarks on a musical journey that breaks yet more boundaries. Much More Than Much Love is undoubtedly the record of his career, showing off Quaye's distinctive strengths at collating melodies and choruses.
Much of the record comes from ideas that have been planted in his mind for the past 18 months. The performances were captured in studios in London, Sheffield and Leeds. For instance, 'Waiting For You', a beautifully elegant ballad rendered simply with strings, first originated in Notting Hill with collaborator Tom Greenwood. 'Pearls of Wisdom' runs a more traditional route through modern reggae and makes wonderful use of Quaye's characteristic voice which continues to develop and echoes great singers like Joe Tex and Brooke Benton. For the songwriter, 'Pearls of Wisdom' marks the most traditional reggae number of his career, and a song, bolstered by a flourishes of percussion that sounds almost like an archive time piece. 'I wanted to do an unadulterated reggae number,' laughs Quaye. 'I wanted to talk about what was going on, and to talk about what's important in a mellow way.'
'Something To Say', a song inspired by intricate choruses and neo-religious production of The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, perfectly encapsulates the sanguine tones expressed over the course of the record. Over chiming guitar harmonies played by Richard Hawley (Pulp, Longpigs), that could have emerged from the 12-string guitar once employed by The Byrds' Roger McGuinn Quaye sets the meter for a light and joyful melody: 'I went back to basics with this one,' he says. 'I kept it very simple. I just kept strumming and singing until it fell into place. I enjoyed playing and singing this song in my little garden and was sure if I sung it sweet enough the neighbours wouldn't complain.'
One of the album's center-pieces, the sanguine 'Dice', written with Beth Orton and recorded by William Orbit, is a near-magical statement. 'I found many of the lyrics in a dictionary, many of the lyrics had nothing to do with my vocab until I found them in the great book of words. There is nothing abstract about this song, it's pretty much straight forward, written about my desire to go back up to Scotland, to the highlands" - an area which has so often provided inspiration and comfort for Finley. 'William made the music with Beth who had originally found the Gaelic melody, I thought it was a great idea and I quickly gathered some ideas together.'
Quaye's record is perhaps a curious statement of intent, in some ways it represents his outwardly optimistic nature. Unsurprisingly, Quaye has his own humanist take on current world events, the incisive 'Volunteer'. 'I was interested in writing a song about war, of course I am concerned by what is happening,' he says. 'It's hard not to be concerned by what is happening. It is all around us. But it's better to be positive.'
His last statement speaks volumes. A committed songwriter, Quaye, on the evidence of his third album, is still tackling contemporary issues with distinction. Diversity is his strength. Or, as he puts it 'You have to challenge people. Music has to be challenging.'
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