Paul Carrack: New album early next year

Collaboration with the SWR Big Band

After Paul Carrack's last studio album One On One, the successor will be released in January. On Don't Wait Too Long, Paul once again collaborates with the SWR Big Band.

From the press sheet:

Celebrating a momentous five decades in the industry, legendary musician and songwriter Paul Carrack, whose ‘Golden Voice’ features on numerous classic worldwide hits such as How Long (ACE), Tempted (Squeeze), The Living Years, Over My Shoulder (Mike + the Mechanics) teams up with the 4 time GRAMMY Award-nominee SWR Big Band & Strings on an epic new album Don’t Wait Too Long released 20th January 2023.

The covers album celebrates the pioneering golden era in music from the 50s and beyond spanning blues, gospel, country and jazz.

The first single Cryin' Won't Help You out now is Paul’s tribute to the legendary BB King.

Paul has a deep love of R&B songs from the fifties and beyond. For him, 50s music was filled with intense emotion, it was wildly kinetic and had a profound impact on his career. In Paul’s mind, it’s where all mode pop music began, the sounds were spectacular and revolutionary. Days when the change from jazz to pop was stretched via pioneers and great singers like Bobby Bland, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Lloyd Price. These artists always resonated as fantastic performers with stylistic records that had such joy and intensity. The 50s were not only a time for musical revolution but a social and generational upheaval of vast and unpredictable scope. The power of this music is as vital today as it ever was with the power to change lives forever.

After working with the SWR Big Band on a number of projects, Paul and his producers had the idea to find and record a selection of these time-warped classics, some well-known, others not so much, and the title track, a mode song that harks back to those times called Don’t Wait Too Long.

Paul said, “Over the past 15 years it’s been my pleasure to collaborate on a number of projects with the SWR Big Band who are widely acknowledged as one of the finest jazz orchestras in the world. Many of these collaborations have taken me, a self-taught rock n roll musician, out of my musical comfort zone and into areas where I might not ordinarily venture. It’s been a great experience in so many ways which has broadened my musical education whilst learning on the job. With this album I wanted to bring the repertoire and feel of the record a little closer to my own musical roots of Soul, Pop and classic Rhythm and Blues. Recording the album remotely during the 2020 lockdown presented some technical challenges but I think recording my vocals in my studio at home turned out to be a positive and I’m very pleased with the performances which I believe are some of the best of my long and varied career.”

Carrack’s soulful pop stylings continue to shine brightly, firmly cementing Paul as one of the finest musicians of his time. Highlights on the album include first single Cryin' Won't Help You, Paul’s tribute to the king of the blues, B.B. King. Paul previously featured on the BB Kings’ Deuces Wild album alongside Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. Paul said, “One of the highlights of my career undoubtedly was playing and singing on an album called Deuces Wild by the late, great B.B. King. B.B. was a joy to work with and great fun. This is my tribute to him”

Also featured on the album is Paul’s version of Bobby Blue Bland‘s classic The Only Thing Missing Is You. Paul said, “Back in the 70’s ACE were signed to a label that distributed American singer Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland’s albums in the UK. We raided the store cupboard for every album they had and loved him ever since”

Paul also adds his own raw intensity and soul to Etta James classic Trust in Me, Paul commented, “It was probably a bold move to cover this sensational song by Etta James but I’ve always loved Etta’s powerful, soulful voice and this is such a powerful song, it needed to be on the album.”

The title track on the album is Paul’s version of Madeleine Peyroux’s Don’t Wait Too Long, a perfect positioning between a jazz and a country sound. Paul said, “I wanted a slightly more modern song to the album. Madeleine Peyroux's stunning track, Don’t Wait Too Long has a message for us all. If there’s something you want to do, get on and do it before it’s too late”

Tracklist:

Ill Always Be in Love with You
Don't Wait Too Long
Cryin' Won't Help You
Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'
Ain't Nothing You Can Do
Question
The Only Thing Missing is You
Got to Get You Off My Mind
The Frim Fram Sauce
Trust in Me
Bring It On Home To Me
Next Time You See Me

Don't Wait Too Long will be released on CD and Vinyl and as a digital album (20th January 2023). It will be available for preorder in Paul Carrack's webshop shortly. Early birds can expect their album to be delivered before Christmas, when ordered directly on Paul's website. It's also available on amazonUK.