Elton John's Tip Sheet - Brief Article - Interview

Interview, June, 2001

INTERVIEW: Each summer, you've made some on-the-button music predictions. The summer normally starts one way musically and then by August builds to a couple of records that listeners play over and over. Do you think you've heard those records yet?

ELTON JOHN: I've got five that I haven't taken off my CD player: India Arie's Acoustic Soul (Motown), Koffee Brown's Mars/Venus (Arista), Gorilaz (Parlophone) featuring Damon Album from Blur, Daft Punk's Discovery (Virgin), and the fifth is the Train album, Drops of Jupiter (Columbia) which has had horrible reviews--but I really like it.

I: Why these records?

EJ: India Arie's album is absolutely fabulous and it's already a commercial success. It's soulful, melodic, passionate and beautiful. I didn't like Daft Punk's Discovery at first, but I've grown to love it. It could be a big summer record. Gorillaz is a great record from Britain, and there's a single off it called "Clint Eastwood," which is a killer. It's a very modern-sounding record.

I: Anything else catching your interest from your side of the pond?

EJ: Craig David's album, Born To Do it (Wildstar/Atlantic), isn't going to be released until July in America, but it's been huge everywhere else in the world. It's another sexy record that is chock-full of commercial songs and he's just got the greatest voice. The album is produced by Artful Dodger, two guys who produce great records in Britain. Their own album, It's All About the Stragglers (London/Sire), which came out recently in the U.S., is also fantastic. The Kings of Convenience have an album called Quiet is the New Loud (Source), which is really interesting, as is the Turin Brakes album The Optimist (Astralwerks). Then there's the album Parachutes (Capitol) by the best new British band, Coldplay. It has been out for a while but it has a lot of life left in it yet. It's a beautiful, wistful summer evening album. So, unlike last year, when it was all about the women, this year it's all about everybody, and it's only the start of summer.

I: Speaking of women, are there some new female singers you are excited about?

EJ: There's this girl on Clive Davis' new record label J Records called Alicia Keys and she is supposed to be wonderful. I haven't heard her album yet, but the word on the street is that it's fantastic. Plus, you're going to be hearing a lot more of the Nelly Furtado record, Whoa Nelly! (DreamWorks), all summer. It hasn't exploded yet, but it's going to. The first single "I'm Like a Bird," is just beginning to break and the album is packed with sexy summer songs. But the record that everyone has been talking about is Your Woman (Soulife/Atlantic) by Sunshine Anderson.

I: We've actually got a story about her in this issue [on page 46].

EJ: Good, 'cause the buzz on her album is great. All the CDs that I've been describing are up-- they're not downers, which is perfect for the summer when people want to hear lighthearted, sexy music.

I: Speaking of sexy, Maxwell has a new album coming out.

EJ: That's right, and he is the guy who helped put a lot of sex back into music. Of all the American black male vocalists working today, he is the king. Then, of course, later this summer there's a new Melissa Etheridge record due out, which I hear is terrific. We love Melissa because she rocks. And speaking of lesbians, she, Ellen and k.d. have never looked better. You go, girls! But as well as the sex, all these summer records have melodies, too, and good songs, so that's a good sign. And Destiny's Child, who also have a new album coming out, are very sexy. [laughs] I can't say anything else but that! I think they've helped put a lot of sex back into music as well, because they look so great.

I: Are they sexy or sexed-up?

EJ: I think they're sexy and sexed-up. All the people I've been talking about here sound as if they can sing their asses off. I've seen Destiny's Child live and they're dynamite. You know there's no lip-syncing goin' on there, honey.

KOFFEE BROWN .. GET READY FOR your CLOSE UP

"I really love Mars/Venus (Arista), an album by a girl and a boy named Vee and Fonz who call themselves Koffee Brown. Its kind of a cheesy name but it's a very sexy album--great to make out to It's a groovy, groovy record. And that doesn't mean it sounds dated; it sounds really good. It's got melodies; it's got everything. But it also has something that I detest there are two speaking bits in between tracks, which I wish artists would not do, because it's just a pain in the ass. One of them is really offensive--something about skid marks. But that's the only blot on the landscape. The album is really fine, and it as some great ballads. There's one track, "Fingerpointing," which has the lyric "Did you sleep with her did you sleep with him?" that is like all those great records Marvin Gaye used to make & with people like Tammi Terrell, Kim Weston and Diana Ross. I'm very impressed with this record." ELTON JOHN