Posted on 03/03/2009
You could be forgiven for not knowing who exactly Alice Russell is, as she’s not exactly keen on revealing the truth herself. She proudly informs me that “no one can ever know what the essence of Alice Russell is, my elixir” before chuckling contentedly. But if an interviewer loves anything, it’s a challenge. Unfortunately, there’s just far too much going on with Alice Russell to even begin to get a handle on her.

One moment she’s gently chastising you for not eating your mashed potato, another she’s giving you advice on dating etiquette (‘flip it out’). Before you know it she’s singing you the first song you ever bought (don’t ask) whilst sound checking next door to Marlena Shaw and more than matching one of the high priestesses of soul for passion, range and raw quality.

Nor is her partner in crime TM Juke, aka Alex Cowan, aka the best ginger musician ever (really), any more straightforward. Quite apart from it being incredibly hard to tell when he’s being serious or not thanks to his acerbic sense of humour, as a producer he’s all over the place as well. And that’s a very good thing in case you’re wondering. Music writers tend to throw genres about like there’s no tomorrow when describing their subjects, but TM Juke is someone to whom they all actually stick and then some.

They’ve worked together since Alice dropped her dreamy vocals on TM Juke’s debut album Maps From The Wilderness back in 2003. They enjoyed it so much that they wrote Alice’s first ‘proper’ album My Favourite Letters together, before she popped up for a star turn on TM Juke’s stunning sophomore Forward and squeezed in amongst the breakneck carnival and go-go rhythms of Boto And The Second Liners that TM Juke made with Alice’s drummer, The Jack Baker Trio. Who is actually one man. Got all that?

This year finally saw the release of their second full length collaboration Pot of Gold. It’s a stunning soul record that should garner them the public affection to match the critical acclaim that’s always followed them. Tracks like the slow burning “Let Us Be Loving,” the raw strut of “Two Steps” and the heart-pulling “Hurry On Now” stand head and shoulders above the pap that currently passes for “soul.” But the relatively straight-laced nature of Pot Of Gold might come as a surprise to those fortunate enough to see Alice’s recent shows, as her frequent excursions into squelchy electro are completely absent.

TM J: The music on the album isn’t particularly glamorous. It’s live recordings in a couple of takes, not overly produced, a bit of editing, that’s it. Rather than our earlier stuff, which was really produced.

Alice: It was quite weird how it came about - we were going to do it stripped down, then recording it we couldn’t really help ourselves and threw the strings and horns on.

TM: Well, if you’re going to put something out, you may as well do a horn session.

It’s this healthy embracing of anything and everything that’s good for you, especially horns and tunes, that characterises their music and makes it such a joy to listen to. In their eyes Pot of Gold might not be glamorous, but there’s no such thing as a simple Alice Russell track. There are excursions into electronica, afrobeat, hip-hop and jazz, as you’d expect from a woman who started out singing in house and hip-hop outfits, before settling into her own style.

Alice:You meet people who are total purists, but I don’t find that very natural. It’s more natural to like so many different things, in art, music, food, everything, so I find it weird when people are restricted to going in one direction musically. I just don’t think it makes sense.

It’s therefore a tribute to her versatility as a singer that Alice can successfully unite the various genres in her musical arsenal as TM Juke ruminates:

“Between the two extremes of our set - the most acoustic and jazzy parts, and the most electro stuff, there’s never anyone who says I didn’t enjoy that part of the set, as it’s all under the umbrella of Alice’s voice. She ties it all together.”

Ah, the stage show. Perhaps it’s the closest we’ll ever get to discovering that elusive essence of Alice Russell, as after all it’s where she spends most of her time. The first time I saw her perform was with the Quantic Soul Orchestra (QSO) back in 2004, when a small, shy blonde was virtually pushed on stage who then proceeded to blow the crowd away with the sheer power of her voice. Four years later in Amsterdam, she’s far more comfortable as the centre of attention, bantering with the audience in a complete state of ease.

Alice: I’m more of myself now on stage, but I used to find it quite hard. It’s a fine line between being yourself and getting up there and channelling the music. I used to fight with being open on stage, but eventually QSO broke it out of me after I did so many shows with them.

TM J: America makes a difference as well. I can see it in you; it makes you evolve, not in an ego way, but giving you more confidence in what you do. If you do a gig there it’s like “you’re looking at me, so I might as well be, well fucking look at me!” Where as here in England, it’s like, “you’re looking at me, er, what am I going to do now…”

Alice: Yeah, you want to celebrate what you’re doing. I went to see Grace Jones the other day and it was fucking amazing. But why not be like that? It’s fun, and it’s more fun for the audience.

But as much fun, and as necessary, as it may be, touring is both a gift and a curse, as The Roots can testify. Alice’s hectic Spring touring schedule takes in Australia, Europe and America, and the day we meet is the last time she’ll be home for three months.

Alice: I love touring, but sometimes you just want to halt and have time to write, because if you’re touring one album you love, but you’re not writing new stuff, it becomes meaningless. One without the other doesn’t make sense. You need to write stuff, see if the public likes it, then that gives you more energy to go back into the studio. It’s like any art form, it doesn’t work unless you’re communicating with someone else.

It’s something that TM Juke has had to step back from in order to rediscover his mojo.

“You do need to occasionally kickstart your relationship with what you do. I found that recently with music. I now feel really fucking passionate about what I’m doing again. I was drifting off a bit at the end of last year, but maybe that’s not being able to make much music. I find that I need to be able to make it to really enjoy it, I constantly need something new.

This would explain the vast array of projects he’s involved in – his work with Alice, his solo material, the Jack Baker Trio collaboration, the Me&You DJ mash-up he does with his mate Rob Luis, and the next thing he’s got up his sleeve, Nekklace. Typical of the man, who despite all appearances to the contrary is incredibly modest, it only crops up as an aside after I ask about how many instruments he plays, as it turns out he even sings as well.

TM J:“It’s a live project (Alice – ‘it’s really good’), an electro, sexy, glitzy (Alice – ‘fairly camp’) rocky, vocal kind of thing. It’s quite sexy music I suppose, is that alright to say?

Alice: Yeah, it’s really good, proper catchy songs, with deep bass and electro drums, a pretty twisted affair. That’s the thing, if this article has focused a little on Alice, it’s only because, whether on stage or in the pub, she demands your attention. When she’s in flow, there’s no stopping her and nor would you want to. However, if you ignore the Buddy Holly lookalike standing on her right hand side churning out ridiculously catchy guitar hooks or devastatingly witty asides, you’re missing out. As anyone with a passing knowledge of soul knows, it takes two to make a dream come true. But this particular pair are more Ike and Tina Turner than Marvin and Kim (happily without the wife beating and drug problems). They’ve got the funk, the spunk and the tunes to enjoy the same level of success as well. Not that it’s something they’re particularly chasing. Alice: For me, the thought of fame is a bit of a strange one, and anyone getting involved in anything wanting that at the end of it is crazy. But it would be lovely to have more recognition for what you do. For me it’s more about having the oxygen to allow you to do more for the shows and the things you want to do – more time in the studio, more scope to create the things you want to do, to enable us to do a lot more. You can still do loads as we are, and we do what we do, but the idea of fireworks and white rhinos on stage, wargh, you know, I’ve got dreams… (drifts off) TM J: Yeah, Jean Michel Jarre style gigs outside the pyramids with a massive gong at the end. (chuckles)

On that bombshell, the dynamic duo leave me to perform an acoustic set at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards. It’s surely only a matter of time before they’re picking one up themselves thanks to the pot of musical gold they’re sitting on. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself on their US tour this March. There might not be any white rhinos, but there’ll certainly be fireworks on stage.

- Will Georgi

For more Alice Russell and TM Juke, visit each of their myspace pages by clicking the name below: Alice Russell and TM Juke.