Paul Weller would love to release an album of soul singers covering his songs.
The Jam star is all for the project but is nervous fans might find it self-indulgent and not get on board with the venture.
“I’d love to do a record with a few of my songs sung by soul singers,” he said (via Uncut).
“I don’t know how to get in touch with [the singers I’d want], but Stone Foundation managed to get Melba Moore to sing on their album and they’ve also had William Bell and Bettye LaVette.”
Admitting hearing a soul rendition of one of his tracks “blew [his] mind,” Weller added: “The closest I came was when Acid Jazz put out a really old song of mine called, ‘Left Right & Centre’, which I wrote when I was 16.
“They got this American soul singer Dean Parrish to sing it. It was amazing to hear this song which I wrote as a kid trying to imagine I was f**king Otis Redding or something.
“When Dean’s version came out, I finally got to hear it as I heard it when I was writing it as a kid – it blew my mind.”
Detailing a list of suggested artists for his dream project, he noted: “Martha Reeves, Darlene Love, Irma Thomas … Kiki Dee? Yeah I like her. Wasn’t she the first British artist signed to Motown?”
Weller will take the stage in June 2022 for an outdoor show at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea – the home of the Chelsea Pensioners – as part of the venue’s summer concert series. .
