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Alex Wilson releases his sixth album, titled 'Salsa Con Soul', on Monday 20th October. He took some time out to tell us about the project;
 SC: Tell us a little bit about the new album, "Salsa con Soul". What inspired you to have such a big soul, and to a certain extent Gospel, influence?
AW: My previous album Inglaterra evolved over a period of 2 to 3 years - when it came out it caused quite a stir and it was fascinating to see it taken up by the DJs, played in the clubs and also to see that thousands of people had bought it ! This next album, I wanted to take the concepts from Inglaterra and develop them further to see how far I could musically go within the salsa genre. The inspiration came from the music, musicians and songwriters around me.
SC: The sound on the new album is quite a contrast to your previous cd, Inglaterra, which had quite a raw sound, whereas this new cd sounds a lot more polished. Was this change in sound intentional or a natural by-product of the Soul influence?
AW: That's an interesting observation about the production. As I am producer as well as artist, in every album I do, the intention is to improve and refine my production values. For Salsa con Soul I went for a sound that would best support the featured vocals and the aim was to incorporate the smoother female vocal sounds with a salsa dance kick.
SC: Salsa con Soul has a very 'crossover' feel, in that we can see a lot of non-salsa people liking this album. Is this something you intended?
AW: You never quite know who's going to like an album until you release it. A year ago, I decided on the concept, which was to mix the salsa approach that has become my sound with largely female vocal-based soul and gospel tunes and then to add some more classic salsa tracks to the mix. Once this was decided on, I just had to go for it and hope that people would appreciate the result. In my experience, if you try to write what you think people will like, the result does not come across as particularly genuine or even very focussed.
SC: What are your personal favourite tracks on the album, and why?
 AW: That's a very difficult question - I have been working on all the tracks for a year now so I'm too close to it all to say. "Rhythm & Life" is an interesting one for me as it is my first collaboration with a gospel keyboard player/producer and so has taken me in a new direction. "Antonio" is the first piano-featured salsa track I have done (although I did play Capullito de Aleli in the same vein on my Anglo-Cubano album). "You're Fine" is a really direct up-front track, "This Time" has a lush string section ... I think it is for other people to pick their favourites !
SC: How does this new CD fit with the rest of your previous albums? Is this an evolution of the 'Alex Wilson Sound' and can we expect more of this in the future?
AW: I now have six albums out - the first four were in a latin jazz vein and the last two have been salsa. My intention all along is develop my own sound and one of the things I would like to do is produce and arrange for other salsa artists and help develop the scene here in the UK. This would need to be in collaboration with a friendly record company or investor .. so if there are any out there get in touch ! In addition to this I will continue to put out new music, which include salsa. In common with all artists nowadays, I am looking at and reviewing ways to be able to sell music effectively - this then allows me to initiate new projects.
SC: As well as having a lot of songs aimed at the Salsa dancefloor, the whole album seems to be sequenced as a good listening experience in its own right. What are you hoping people will take from listening to this album?
AW: I hope that both listeners and dancers will enjoy the album - with any luck the listeners will be motivated to go out salsa dancing and the dancers will be inspired to visit a jazz club!
SC: Do you have any stories to tell from your experience of working on the CD? Any recording nightmares or memorable happenings?
 AW: This project was blessed with a decided lack of nightmares ... we put so much into the planning. We decided to record a cover version of Mi Buenaventura, one of Colombia's national songs. The day before Elpidio layed down the vocals, the songwriter, El Peregoyo, who was a veteran of currulao music sadly passed away. We decided immediately to dedicate the song to his legacy.
SC: Is there anything else that you'd like to add?
AW: Only to say that I am extremely grateful that, once again, the salsa scene appears to be getting behind this release. For those of you who haven't heard ... we're gigging in Leeds, London and Birmingham and you can order Salsa con Soul from Amazon today !!!
Gracias ....
'Salsa Con Soul' is released on 20th October, on Alex Wilson Records.
Click here to read our review of the CD
Click here to buy from Amazon
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