Image credit: Owain Fleetwood jenkins
Sweet to the ear and mind is the third album from songstress Jodie Marie entitled The Answer. Prepare to listen from start to finish, as this singer has sharp yet honeyed vocals that are hard to ignore. Growing up around a musically orientated family, Jodie would listen to a range of genres like blues, rock, soul with inspirational strong vocalists like Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin to name a few.
We chat with singer-songwriter Jodie Marie below
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Soul music, kind of?
How does a song come together for you? What is the songwriting process?
When it comes to writing, I get inspired most when I’m not trying. Like when I’m driving my van – that’s when I start humming a melody or coming up with lyrics. I have to pull over, jot it down/sing it into my voice notes, and then when I get home or near an instrument, I can then form the rest of the song. I do sometimes sit down at the piano or with my guitar to try and write, and that process usually starts with the instrument – I come up with a chord progression or riff and then see what those chords and sounds feel like, so the lyrics are inspired by the mood of the instruments. I always have to write about the first-hand experience or from being really close to a subject to write about it.
What was the first album/CD you ever bought?
Hard question…I can’t remember the first CD to be honest, but I really remember buying my first 7” vinyl, it was Joan Baez ‘Silver Dagger’ from an old record shop for 50p! Love that song!
What album do you know every word to?
I’d have to say Bonnie Raitt The Collection album. That album has been with me through thick and thin and I still put it on now and never tire of it. It just has so many layers and I’m a sucker for a blues ballad like ‘Love Has No Pride’ or ‘Guilty’, which are two songs I’ve covered in the past. It’s still to this day my comfort blanket album.
Share some advice for other bands/artists creating original music?
I’d have to say just keep writing and performing the type of music you love. It’s a hard business to be a part of, but for me, music is literally my therapy, without it, I’d be utterly lost (even though I’m so nervous every time I play live, I still could never give it up!). So, just keep writing as long as you love it, and the music will speak for itself. Finally, always be unapologetically yourself.
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
I’ve had quite a few people cry when I play gigs (hopefully that’s a good sign ha!). They often come up to me afterward and say that the reason they got upset was that they could just relate to what I was singing about and that my voice is that the emotion. That’s one of the biggest compliments I could ask for really because all the music I grew up listening to, I’d cry along to or put on as comfort. I always strived to create music that would resonate with people on some deep emotional level and hopefully help them through a tough time, or make them smile, just like those records I admire.
If you could create your own radio show, what kind of music would you feature and why?
I would LOVE to create a radio show with music that inspired me to write & perform. Music from the 50s/60s/70s (like Lesley Gore, Janis Joplin, Moody Blues, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Rolling Stones, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Carole King, Free, Beatles, Dusty Springfield). Along with this old school blues (like BBKing, Elmore James, Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor), and throwing in some heart-wrenching Soul music (like Aretha Franklin, Merry Clayton, Sam Cooke, Etta James) and for the late-night radio show, some old Jazz/Blues music (like Billie Holiday & Ella Fitzgerald). There would be some more modern music too, music that seems to have been inspired by these times also (like Amy Winehouse, The Black Keys, Blake Mills).
Basically, all the music I grew up listening to! I often have a dream of being on a pirate radio ship out at sea as a radio DJ, just playing all the music I want to listen to – heaven!
One last nugget of info you can’t wait to share with your fans?
I’m super excited to release this record on vinyl, which you can preorder (in any form) on my website here (https://www.carumusic.com/jodie-marie). I’ve always wanted to release on vinyl so this is pretty huge for me!! I also can’t wait to do some shows as soon as we’re allowed so I can meet some new faces, see familiar fans and just get out on the road with the band!!
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