I'm thrilled that the blogosphere is as crazy about the new Katie Melua material as I am. Thanks to The Prophet Blog for posting this new insightful interview with Melua and William Orbit on the BBC Breakfast morning show. In the interview, Orbit explains what brought the two together and surprisingly, Melua sought him out and he was intrigued. According to Orbit, Melua sent him 5 tracks and he was "captivated from the very first listen."
When talking about the new album's "darker sound" Melua and Orbit discuss dark movies like Eraserhead and Ichi the Killer as partial influences, which is interesting to me. I don't honestly know if her new material (what I have heard of it anyway) is any darker than her past material, is it? I feel like Melua has always had this haunting quality to her vocals that darken her songs. Melua explains that she's always leaned towards the dramatic lyrics, and that this new album is no exception.
In talking about the recording process, the two described the whole experience as "organic" and "traditional," with the duo recording together in a studio, with a full band. Also worth noting, Orbit didn't play on the album, leaving it to the band. The collaboration and respect these two musicians have for one another really comes across in this interview. I can't wait for The House!
The House, features songwriting by Melua, with help from the likes of Guy Chambers, Rick Knowles and (my personal fave) Polly Scattergood. The album will be released in the UK next Monday, May 24th and in the U.S. on August 3rd. First single, "The Flood" is out now.
Check out Katie Melua on the web: