“Rain” marks a new era in the remarkable career of the down-to-earth vocal powerhouse, universally acclaimed as one of the best modern soul voices of our time. Whether performing on a huge stage with a 16-piece band, charming four thousand revellers into staying out dancing in the rain (as at the Montreal Jazz Festival) or rocking an intimate club, Alice’s raw talent and charisma command attention and affection. Unfazed by taking the spotlight after Amy Winehouse, 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. Other career highlights include performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, NPR’s Tiny Desk Session, SXSW, BBC 6Music Live at Maida Vale and being synced on the trailer for the huge final series of Mad Men.
Highly in demand as an eminent vocalist, Alice has previously guested alongside Fatboy Slim on Talking Heads frontman David Byrne’s solo LP, as well as collaborations with the likes of Mr Scruff, Quantic, DJ Yoda and Nostalgia 77. However, it is 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 and 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 direction.”
This summer, Alice graced the main stage of Gilles Peterson’s flagship festival We Out Here, supported Nile Rogers in Brighton and performed as part of a tribute to Aretha Franklin at festivals across France, marking her return to the stage, where she belongs. Before lockdown struck, Alice performed an incredibly special in-the-round show at the Roundhouse, Camden, debuting new material (including an early rendition of “Rain”), accompanied by four backing vocalists and a grand piano. This performance acted as a catalyst for her and Al (TM Juke) to write new music, persevering through the continuous lockdown cycles of the pandemic, while also caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s.
Since the release of Alice Russell’s previous and highly acclaimed album ‘To Dust’ (2013) – which was re-released in 2021 with a bonus track remake of ‘Heartbreaker’ by label-mate trumpeter Sefi Zisling – life, loss and grief have been a central part of this period and new approach to creating music: “Two little ones have joined me, and one has left - my dad passed away the summer after ‘To Dust’ was released. The day after my Dad’s funeral, I found out I was pregnant with my first little one.” Alice continues: “The grief journey has cracked me open and created a more urgent need to be focused and try to go deeper with how I communicate creatively and who I AM today, and I welcome it with open arms”.
