News: Vanessa Amorosi Releases New Album ‘Memphis Love’
4 min read
Today, award-winning, platinum-selling and highly-acclaimed singer, songwriter and powerhouse vocalist Vanessa Amorosi releases her new full-length studio album, Memphis Love. Signing with legendary creative and overall icon Dave Stewart’s (Eurythmics) Bay Street Records earlier this year, Vanessa then traveled to Memphis, TN to craft the record in the hallowed walls of Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios, which she co-produced alongside Stewart. The LP’s riveting gospel textured focus track, “Lift Us Up” is packed with the captivating voices of the Tennessee Mass Choir and sits as the centrepiece of the project.
Memphis Love succeeds the release of recent single “How Long” — a dynamic cover of English band Ace’s 1947 single ahead of their debut album Five-A-Side — which arrived with an official music video, providing a gripping visual paralleling the song’s themes of betrayal and infidelity.
The track followed lead single and irresistible groove “Wolf” (September 1) — a perfect introduction to what Amorosi aimed to capture sonically with Memphis Love — inspired by the concept of “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” the track was co-written with Dave Stewart and arrived with an electric performance style music video.
Marking her eighth studio album and first release on Dave Stewart’s Bay Street Records, Memphis Love finds Amorosi diving deeper than ever before into her passion for soulful, blues-centric music. The 10-track album is packed with high-energy vocals, punchy brass instrumentation and captivating melodies, all punctuated with riveting gospel textures delivered by the Tennessee Mass Choir. “Singing with a choir like The Tennessee Mass Choir has always been a dream of mine,” shares Amorosi.
“I’ve stood on stage next to Vanessa Amorosi on several occasions and I’m always immediately taken aback by the intensity and the power of her vocal delivery,” says Dave Stewart. “In getting to know her as a friend and as a true artist, I’ve found that her vocal capabilities are just the tip of the iceberg. Underneath is an emotional and powerful storm brewing that I think we captured on this album in a way that’s a slight shift from other recordings during her amazing career. This record means so much to me and her, and in writing lots of it together we touched on subjects that were so close to home for Vanessa that I knew something was bound to pour out. And here it is at last.”
While crafting the album, magic was found in the hallowed walls of Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The essence of Al Green shined upon the sessions with Vanessa Amorosi singing into the iconic soulful R&B artist’s mic alongside some of Al Green’s original players who performed on multiple tracks across Memphis Love.
Dave Stewart adds: “Working with Boo Mitchell in the first phase of recording, it was amazing, and to witness Vanessa’s enthusiasm to be in that soulful room oozing with history. And then, to record Vanessa in a church with a 50-piece Tennessee gospel choir and to see the command she had over the choir with her vocal prowess, was something I’ll never forget.”
This far into her stellar career, Vanessa Amorosi remains one of the most exciting singers on the planet. Her songwriting and dynamic vocal range have seen the artist sell over two million records worldwide. She has released seven commercially and critically acclaimed studio albums, received sixteen ARIA and APRA nominations, and stopped the world in its tracks with her performance of ‘Heroes Live Forever’ and ‘Absolutely Everybody’ at the Sydney Olympics.
“The journey of recording Memphis Love is one I’ll never forget,” she adds. “A career highlight for me. Collaboratively producing this with Dave Stewart was a dream; inspiring me to explore boundless vocal possibilities, free from any constraints. While laying down these tracks at Memphis Royal Studios with a smile on my face, the unforgettable experience of entering a room filled with the Tennessee Mass Choir left me in sheer awe. From start to finish, I hope you listen and feel the love, energy and soul of the record.”
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