Roachford new album Word Of Mouth - Out now
Single: Crazy Love (click to listen)
Andrew ROACHFORD
is one of Britain’s most distinguished R&B
musicians. Growing up in London and influenced by the sound
of Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Reggae and Jazz, this
influence was soon to mold his very own blend of the above
styles. “If you keep your ears open, cultural variety
keeps you from musical small-mindedness”, says
ROACHFORD.
Andrew ROACHFORD (38), whose ancestors originate from the
West Indies, was raised in a family of musicians. At the
tender age of seven, his musical curiosity was aroused.
"There was always a piano in the house and I just got up
and started playing even though I’d never played
before. There was something quite surreal and magical about
it." In the early Eighties, Andrew regularly accompanied
his uncle Bill Roachford to his performances. Bill
Roachford was a well-known saxophone player, who had taught
Ronnie Scott and Femi Kuti. From him, he learned everything
a professional musician should know. “I was in the
middle of that whole jazz scene which was an interesting
education. It taught me musically, how to listen and how to
entertain. My uncle always told me that you had to give
people a show."
In 1986, he founded the band ROACHFORD in London. The band
soon gained a loyal following playing a mixture of funk,
soul and melodious rock. In 1988, the debut album
“Roachford” was released and reached gold
status almost immediately. The up-tempo song “Cuddly
Toy” became an instant hit single, reaching position
4 in the UK single charts. In England, his subsequent
albums “Get Ready” (1991), “Permanent
Shade of Blue” (1994), “Feel” (1997) and
the Best-Of album “The Roachford Files” (2000)
won him several more gold records.
Although ROACHFORD never championed pigeonholing, he once
tried to define his sound. But the release of “From
Now On” (2001) showed him that his definitions had to
be revised. He will always be a versatile musician with
body and soul. Regardless in which direction he produces
and which style might be predominating, his technique and
his feeling for the music is always excellent. This was
also proven by his last album “Heart of the
Matter” (2003).
In 2004 German music mastermind Mousse T. teamed up with
Andrew to write the Top Twenty smash “Pop
Muzak” intended for Mousse T’s “All Nite
Madness” album. The fact that the co-operation
between the two was so fruitful lead Mousse T.’s
label Peppermint Jam to further co-operate with Andrew by
way of a solo album production deal with a worldwide record
release agreement. The result is “Word Of
Mouth”, an excellent album: functional, enjoyable,
timeless, intelligent and above all world class song
writing.
The hypnotic blues ballad “Crazy Love” with its
travelling arrangement is pure luxury for the ears or
“Runaway” with it’s sensitive and very
emotional lyric with a singer- songwriter guitar rambling
feel or even the uplifting soul vibe of “Rock
you”. Although clear differences exist between each
track this is indeed a body of fine music.
Mousse T. plays his usual strong productive roll but was
joined by top German producers Andreas Herbig, (A- Ha ,
Bootsy Colins Patrick Nuo), Franz Plasa (Echt, Selig,
Falco). and Hannover-based production duo So Phat.
Roachford - Heart of
The Matter
In 2003 Andrew Roachford returned with an album which heralds a marked change in musical direction and one that will surprise many. Released on M3 records, a record label set up by Andrew with his management, the self written and produced ‘Heart Of The Matter’ perfectly showcases Andrew’s talents as a jazz and classically trained pianist, consummate soul vocalist and producer as well as the songwriting prowess that has been well documented by critics, fans and fellow artists.
The new sound of Andrew Roachford has resulted in an album that has the energy and impact of a debut piece of work. This beautifully crafted album is a perfect mixture of upbeat soulful tracks as well as jazzy laidback tunes. Its smooth production allows Roachford to display his superb vocals at its simplest and best, particularly evident in tracks such as ‘Walk On’ ; ‘The Music’ and 'The Pressure".
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