Katie
Melua's fourth studio album 'The House' sees the 25 year old draw from a broad
pool of inspiration to write and record an album that is both musically adventurous
and lyrically expressive. Although Katie's previous records 'Call Off The Search',
'Piece By Piece' and 'Pictures', established her as an extraordinarily gifted
vocalist - after her concert at London's O2 Arena The Times wrote "her voice
is rarely short of astounding" - 'The House' reveals an artist's desire to
evolve and explore. The record is produced by William Orbit (Madonna, Blur, P!nk),
who came out of his self-imposed retirement as a producer to work with Katie.
Famed for her ballads Katie does not disappoint with the delicacy of 'Red
Balloons', wounded intrigue of 'I'd Love To Kill You', definitive love of 'No
Fear Of Heights' and tragic betrayal of the title track. Katie's interpretation
of 'The One I Love Is Gone', written by "the father of bluegrass" Bill
Munroe, is simply stunning.
It is, perhaps, on the more up-tempo songs that
Katie's exciting creative trajectory is most apparent. 'Tiny Alien's charming
off-kilter folk and the warped electro rock of 'God On The Drums, Devil On The
Bass' sit alongside the intoxicating brightness of 'A Happy Place' and the Berlin-burlesque
of 'A Moment of Madness'. Meanwhile the hypnotic 'Twisted' and orchestral-pop
of 'Plague Of Love' complement the epic insistence and drama of new single 'The
Flood'.
"In addition to being inspired by the values in music from
the past, I wanted to embrace the future. First, by accepting the values that
are treasured more in music today and by projecting them forward. I found if you
went far enough in both directions you end up in the same place. This thought
was so liberating it enabled me to be a lot more fearless with expressing emotions,
with challenging conventional structures of song and, finally, still allowing
simplicity to stir the soul, as it so often does." explains Katie.
With
the exception of 'The One I Love Is Gone', Katie has written or co-written every
track on 'The House'. In addition to the five tracks written with the acclaimed
Guy Chambers, Katie teamed up with singer-songwriter and long-time friend Polly
Scattergood on 'Red Balloons', with Rick Nowels on 'Twisted' and 'Plague Of Love'
and with her manager Mike Batt on 'God On The Drums, Devil On The Bass'. As well
as being the executive producer of the album, Mike was recruited by William for
the record's orchestral arrangements.
'The Flood' was one of the songs that
enticed William Orbit out of his retirement: "I was captivated by Katie's
voice when I first heard her demos in October last year and, although not having
been involved in record production for some time, felt that I just had to work
with her. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life
and a pleasure from start to finish." recalls William. "When I first
started working with Katie, I posted on Twitter that there was some pure magic
about the sessions. As the album progressed I felt this magical quality more and
more and I believe that the record that she has made is very special indeed."
Written
by Katie, Guy and Lauren Christy, 'The Flood' has already received airplay on
BBC's Radio 2, with presenter Janice Long declaring it as being "the best
thing Katie's done…". Speaking about writing with Katie, Guy says: "Working
with Katie has been a deeply rewarding experience as she approaches music with
a natural curiosity that is very creative. The songs all tell a story and go to
places that some artists would be afraid to go."
For Katie, writing
and recording the record has been a revelation "Being in the studio with
Mike over the last seven years has been incredible. I've been very lucky to have
written and recorded with someone who has a wealth of experience and was able
to give me such undivided attention. I've learned so much and, being on the road
for the last three years, I've had time to digest what I've learned and to experiment
with who I am as a writer."
One of Britain's most successful artists
of the past decade, the release of 'The House' heralds a new phase in Katie's
musical career. As William himself said: "one of the delights of knowing
Katie is wondering just where she will go to next".
www.katiemelua.com
'The
House' (including the new single 'The Flood') is available now through Dramatico
Entertainment.
