To Dust (LP)

180g Heavyweight Gatefold LP The much loved soul and blues singer-songwriter Alice Russell releases her fifth solo album, ‘To Dust’, on 25th February 2013 via Tru Thoughts. The first single, “Heartbreaker”, is out now, highlighting the crisp, cutting edge production and eclectic influences which nestle alongside a love of vintage soul and gospel at the core of Alice Russell’s style, a sound honed with co-writer/producer TM Juke. Showcasing Alice at the top of her craft – and with a video starring Harry Shearer (The Simpsons/Spinal Tap) which has had 50,000+ views – it has gained BBC 6Music and Radio 2 play and tastemaker love from The Fader, Rankin’s Hunger TV, Okayplayer, NTS, KCRW and more. Recent radio features include a BBC 6Music Lunchtime interview and sessions on Loose Ends (BBC R4) and Monocle 24, with more features upcoming including Jamie Cullum (BBC R2), Craig Charles (6Music Live Week) and Huey Morgan (6Music). Ahead of the LP release Tru Thoughts will be premiering a free download of the track “Twin Peaks” w/c 28th January, and an upfront stream of “Let Go (Breakdown)” w/c 4th February, via high profile online partners. ‘To Dust’ is the first solo album from Alice Russell since 2008’s acclaimed ‘Pot Of Gold’, marking the next step forward in a remarkable career which has seen this down-to-earth, diminutive Brit universally acknowledged as one of the best soul voices of our time. Whether on a huge stage with a 16 piece band, charming a 4000 revellers into staying out dancing in the rain (as at Montreal Jazz Festival) or rocking an intimate club, Alice’s raw talent and charisma command attention and affection. Unfazed by taking the spotlight, singing with The Roots in Philly, or joining Roy Ayers for ‘Everybody Loves The Sunshine’, it is no wonder she has attracted worldwide media support, and fans as diverse as Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum, Dennis Coffey, Massive Attack’s Daddy G and Groove Armada. Highly in demand as a vocalist, Alice has recently guested on Talking Heads leader David Byrne’s solo LP, to add to collaborations with Mr Scruff, Quantic, DJ Yoda and Nostalgia 77. But it’s her solo records with longtime musical partner TM Juke that she is best known for, and they have borne some of the most arresting blues soul since the glory days of Aretha. “We’ve both got a very open approach to writing songs,” Alice explains of the prolific relationship, “Our influences run from Sarah Vaughan to Bach, Kate Bush to Arvo Part, and J Dilla to Alice Coltrane. We love everything from dirty, squelchy dubstep to old school soul. We nudge each other in the right directions.” ‘To Dust’ sees Alice exploring every letter of the soul lexicon and beyond to create her own dynamic sound; from the punchy, Prince-esque strut of “Hard And Strong” to the epic intensity of the title track, which could easily be the next Bond theme. Through the heartstring tugging “I Loved You”; the sonically smooth yet emotionally raw “Twin Peaks”; to the pulse-quickening build of “Let Go (Breakdown)” and psychedelic social consciousness of “Citizens”, Alice Russell is never less than scintillating as she displays emotions so real you feel you could reach out and touch them, and a voice of unparalleled versatility. The idiosyncratic structure of the record, peppered with interludes and reprises, makes for a unique listen and a satisfyingly whole ‘album’ experience. Tru Thoughts have signed ‘To Dust’ for territories including the UK, Americas, Australasia and Japan; reuniting Alice Russell with the label that introduced her to the world, where she released her first three albums, as well as myriad collaborations (including the BBC 6Music Playlisted “Look Around The Corner” single and LP with Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro earlier in 2012). A short, sold-out upfront tour in Nov/Dec saw Alice and her incredibly entertaining band premiering the new material. A full ‘To Dust’ tour will follow in April 2013. Review: With due respect to fans of Amy Winehouse and Adele, songstress Alice Russell is the true blue-eyed soul queen from across the pond. The Essex singer has been around longer than either. Despite four previous albums, she's better known as a collaborator. Her résumé includes work with Mr. Scruff, DJ Yoda, Nostalgia '77, David Byrne, Fat Freddy's Drop, and most notably with Quantic. She possesses the firepower and range of Aretha Franklin and the intensity of Nina Simone. Russell is not a retro-soul singer. She's a soul singer. Period. She has always been more contemporary than nostalgic, her music imbued with more hip-hop, hard funk, dance music, and even jazz rhythms than Motown worship, but it's still rooted in deep soul and R&B. To Dust, her fifth album produced by longstanding guitarist TM Juke (Alex Cowan), is easily her most consistent offering. While there's a more organic, basic approach at work here, Russell refuses to leave her modernism behind. The brief, fingerpopping opener “A-Z” contains an infectious organ and guitar vamp-note to RZA: sample this. They set up behind a bright, breaking snare, and though it's merely a fun, simple, alphabet recitation that recalls Stax, she and her backing vocalists deliver it like a rave-up. First single “Heartbreaker” – sequenced after “Heartbreaker, Pt. 2” – welds rock, soul, and pop together in a tight, unforgettable, hooky melody. Russell's voice is out front, pushing the busted love lyric from the darkness into the light, hitting hard via pure vintage gospel. The song's emotion is messy, raw, unbridled; yet in the grain of her voice it is delivered with an immediacy and honesty that demand empathy from the listener. Speaking of gospel, it is a motivating force here, such as in the stirring ballad “I Loved You,” the punchy “Heartbreaker, Pt. 2,” and the crisp, moody “Citizens,” which builds to shattering conclusion. Russell is a restless artist. Her sense of adventure is indulged in the slippery pop of “Hard and Strong,” the funky, keyboard and upright bass swing in “For a While,” the synth- and snare-fueled futurism of the title cut, and the anthemic closer, “Different.” In Russell's world, music is as important as lyric and vocal delivery. This band, time and again, provides a swaggering, unshakeable foundation that gives her and her backing chorus everything they need – and more – to lift off. No matter what she's singing, Russell is invested. Emotion, whether happy, sad, devastated, angry, or ecstatic, is revealed not with mere vocal histrionics, but with Russell trusting her the song to guide her voice, telling her what it needs to resonate organically. To Dust is body music for the spirit, a celebration of all that is human. It is the record that should finally put her over to a mass audience. God knows she deserves it. All Music Guide – Thom Jurek