Soul UK
Soul UK is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Beverley Knight. The album was released on 4 July 2011, and features covers of British soul songs that inspired her whilst growing up. The album includes a live DVD of the tracks, filmed on 7 April at the Porchester Hall in London.[1]
| Soul UK | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 July 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2011 | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul, neo soul | |||
| Length | 63:32 | |||
| Label | Hurricane Records | |||
| Producer | Future Cut, Martin Terefe | |||
| Beverley Knight chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Soul UK | ||||
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Background
In the press release for Soul UK, Knight explained her choice to make and release an album of cover versions. She stated "I gave a lot of thought to choosing the songs I wanted to interpret for this album and it was great fun putting my own flavour and twist on tracks by some of the fantastic UK artists who preceded me and inspired me. A lot these artists opened doors for both myself and many others, and many of them are still going strong – so the album is, in part, a thank you to them. The UK is a world-beating producer of musical talent and this genre can sometimes feel overlooked and underplayed. I hope with this album that people can enjoy these songs all over again and in some cases discover them for the first time."[2]
On her official site, Knight gave a track-by-track rundown of the album, explaining the inspiration behind recording each track that features. She introduced it by explaining, "Welcome to Soul UK, my celebration of some of the home grown artists and soulful tracks that have inspired me. Some of these artists have had enormously successful careers, others have had glimpses of success, and others have never really been given due attention and respect. All these songs, artists and writers have in various ways contributed to my own career in music, and deserve to be recognised for cutting a path that enabled me and every other British Soul/Urban act without exception to walk more easily. This is why I have made this album, it is a labour of love, and my tribute to heroes both celebrated and unsung."[3]
The album features production from Grammy Award-winning producer Martin Terefe, who has worked with James Morrison and Jason Mraz, along with London production duo, Future Cut who have worked with both Lily Allen and Beyoncé.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Blues & Soul | (8/10)[5] |
| The Daily Telegraph |   [6] |
| Daily Mirror | [7] |
| Daily Express | (4/5)[8] |
Emery Bairns of Blues & Soul gave the album an 8 out of 10 rating.[5]
Track listing
The full track listing was confirmed by iTunes.[9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fairplay" | Rose Windross, Beresford Romeo, Nellee Hooper | Martin Terefe | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Southern Freeez" | Peter Maas, John Rocca, Andy Stennett | Martin Terefe | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Mama Used to Say" | Bob Carter, Junior Giscombe | Martin Terefe | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Say I'm Your Number One" | Stock Aitken Waterman | Future Cut | 4:25 |
| 5. | "When You Gonna Learn" | Jay Kay | Martin Terefe | 4:55 |
| 6. | "Apparently Nothin'" (featuring Glen Scott & Roots Manuva) | Carleen Anderson, Marco Nelson | Martin Terefe | 5:55 |
| 7. | "There's Nothing Like This" (featuring Michael Jai) | Hammer | Future Cut | 4:52 |
| 8. | "Don't Be a Fool" | Phillip Linton, Carl McIntosh, Kenny Nicholas, Trevor Jacobs, Sunay Suleyman | Future Cut | 4:10 |
| 9. | "Always and Forever" | Rod Temperton | Martin Terefe | 5:38 |
| 10. | "Round and Around" | Derek Bramble | Martin Terefe | 4:54 |
| 11. | "Cuddly Toy" | Andrew Roachford | Martin Terefe | 3:56 |
| 12. | "Damn" | Lewis Taylor | Martin Terefe | 6:12 |
| 13. | "One More Try" | George Michael | Martin Terefe | 5:41 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Southern Freeez" (Live) | 5:18 |
| 15. | "Say I'm Your Number One" (Live) | 4:31 |
| 16. | "Always and Forever" (Live) | 5:51 |
| 17. | "Fairplay" (Live) | 4:47 |
| 18. | "Damn" (Live) | 6:36 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Live Concert Film of Soul UK: Introduction" (featuring Roachford, Jazzie B, Jaki Graham, Junior & Rod Temperton) | |
| 2. | "Southern Freeez" | |
| 3. | "Fairplay" | |
| 4. | "When You Gonna Learn" | |
| 5. | "Apparently Nothin'" | |
| 6. | "One More Try" | |
| 7. | "Round and Around" | |
| 8. | "There's Nothing Like This" | |
| 9. | "Always and Forever" | |
| 10. | "Mama Used to Say" | |
| 11. | "Cuddly Toy" | |
| 12. | "Interviews with Beverley and the original artists" |
Singles
Knight confirmed whilst performing at London's Porchester Hall, at the album launch show, in April 2011, that the first single from the album would be "Mama Used to Say", a cover of the Junior single, which peaked number 7 in the UK in 1982.[11] The single was released on 27 June 2011.[12] The second single was Knight's version of Roachford's "Cuddly Toy", released on 28 August 2011, while the third was Knight's version of George Michael's "One More Try", released on 23 October 2011. "Round and Around", originally recorded by Jaki Graham was released as the fourth single from Soul UK on 12 February 2012.
Original artists
- "Fairplay" by Soul II Soul (1988) (UK #63)
- "Southern Freeez" by Freeez (1981) (UK #8)
- "Mama Used to Say" by Junior (1982) (UK #7)
- "Say I'm Your Number One" by Princess (1985) (UK #7)
- "When You Gonna Learn" by Jamiroquai (1992) (UK #28)
- "Apparently Nothin'" by Young Disciples (1991) (UK #13)
- "There's Nothing Like This" by Omar (1991) (UK #14)
- "Don't Be a Fool" by Loose Ends (1990) (UK #13)
- "Always and Forever" by Heatwave (1977) (UK #9)
- "Round and Around" by Jaki Graham (1985) (UK #9)
- "Cuddly Toy" by Roachford (1988) (UK #4)
- "Damn" by Lewis Taylor (1996)
- "One More Try" by George Michael (1988) (UK #8)
Information lifted from the liner notes on Soul UK.
Chart performance
| Charts (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Singles Chart[13] | 27 |
| UK Albums Chart[14] | 13 |
Soul UK – The Remixes
A remix album, entitled Soul UK – The Remixes was released exclusively on digital download via Beatport on 29 January 2012. It features remixes of Soul UK album tracks "Mama Used to Say", "Apparently Nothin'", "Cuddly Toy", "Round and Around" and "Southern Freeez".[15]
| Soul UK – The Remixes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Remix album by | ||||
| Released | 29 January 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2012 | |||
| Genre | R&B, Soul | |||
| Label | Hurricane Records | |||
| Producer | Dave Doyle, Cool Millions, Neil Thompson, ESquire, Cutmore, 5am, DJ Munro, Soul Seekerz, MCM | |||
| Beverley Knight chronology | ||||
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Track listing
- Digital download[16]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mama Used to Say" (Dave Doyle Extended Club Mix) | Bob Carter, Junior Giscombe | 7:42 |
| 2. | "Mama Used to Say" (Cool Million's Boogie Down 12" Mix) | Bob Carter, Junior Giscombe | 5:36 |
| 3. | "Mama Used to Say" (Cool Million's Boogie Down Mix) | Bob Carter, Junior Giscombe | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Apparently Nothin'" (Neil Thompson's Regrooved Mix) | Anderson, Nelson | 7:15 |
| 5. | "Cuddly Toy" (ESquire Club Mix) | Roachford | 6:09 |
| 6. | "Cuddly Toy" (Cutmore Club Mix) | Roachford | 6:33 |
| 7. | "Cuddly Toy" (David Doyle Club Mix) | Roachford | 7:15 |
| 8. | "Cuddly Toy" (David Doyle Radio Mix) | Roachford | 3:04 |
| 9. | "Round and Around" (5am Radio Mix) | Bramble | 3:48 |
| 10. | "Round and Around" (5am Full Version) | Bramble | 4:56 |
| 11. | "Round and Around" (5am Extended Mix) | Bramble | 6:58 |
| 12. | "Round and Around" (DJ Munro Mix) | Bramble | 4:58 |
| 13. | "Southern Freeez" (DJ Munro Extended Mix) | Peter Maas, John Rocca, Andy Stennett | 5:03 |
| 14. | "Southern Freeez" (Soul Seekerz Club Mix) | Peter Maas, John Rocca, Andy Stennett | 7:17 |
| 15. | "Southern Freeez" (Soul Seekerz Radio Mix) | Peter Maas, John Rocca, Andy Stennett | 3:28 |
| 16. | "Southern Freeez" (Soul Seekerz Dub Mix) | Peter Maas, John Rocca, Andy Stennett | 7:17 |
| 17. | "Southern Freeez" (MCM Funky Freeez Radio Edit) | Peter Maas, John Rocca, Andy Stennett | 3:18 |
References
- Lewis Corner (8 April 2011). "Beverley Knight announces new album – Music News – Digital Spy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- M magazine (12 May 2011). "M magazine: PRS for Music Members Magazine". M magazine. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- BeverleyKnight.com (24 May 2011). "Biog – Beverley Knight". Hurricane Records. Archived from the original on 30 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "NEWS: Beverley Knight Set for a Comeback?". Urban Development. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- Bairns, Emery. "REVIEW BEVERLEY KNIGHT: SOUL UK (HURRICANE)". bluesandsoul.com. Blues & Soul.
- Green, Thomas (30 June 2011). "Beverley Knight – Soul UK, CD review". The Daily Telegraph.
- Martin, Gavin (13 July 2011). "Beverley Knight – Soul UK album review: Our premier lady of soul". Daily Mirror.
- Gage, Simon (1 June 2011). "Beverley Knight: Soul UK (Hurricane)". Daily Express.
- iTunes (3 July 2011). "Soul UK by Beverley Knight – Preorder Soul UK on iTunes". iTunes UK. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- BeverleyKnight.com (24 May 2011). "Soul UK Releases – Beverley Knight". Hurricane Records. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - The Official Charts Company (24 April 1982). "JUNIOR – The Official Charts Company". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- BeverleyKnight.com (24 May 2011). "Mama Used To Say Releases – Beverley Knight". Hurricane Records. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "Scottish Albums Top 40 – 10th March 2012". Official Charts. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- "2011-07-16 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. 16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- "Beatport – News – Beverley Knight". BeverleyKnight.com. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012.
- Beatport (29 January 2012). "Beverley Knight – Soul UK – The Remixes (Hurricane Records)". Beatport. Retrieved 4 February 2012.