On February 2nd one of Britain’s most cherished soul & jazz singers, Sarah Jane Morris releases ‘The Sisterhood’ the brand new single and title track from her forthcoming album, out on International Women’s Day (March 8 2024) – her most joyously life-affirming album yet.
Co-written and produced with her right hand man Tony Rémy, ‘The Sisterhood’ track is an infectiously funky salutation to Aretha Franklin, with the groove and vocal snap of a dancefloor anthem, yet steeped in the classic gospel sound that Sarah Jane Morris seems to have absorbed into her DNA. The accompanying video includes live footage from her recent headline show at London’s Cadogan Hall, at which she debuted the entire record.
Watch the video HERE.
A representation of Sarah Jane’s roots, inspirations, and indefatigable love of contemporary music-making and its iconic pioneers ‘The Sisterhood’ album celebrates ten female stars who dominated the singing and song writing of the 20th century – Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, Annie Lennox, and Kate Bush.
“For more than twenty years I have been thinking about projects to celebrate women and our contribution to the history of song. This, at last, is it,” says Sarah Jane. “These are my ten singers, my essential lodestars. With these stories I tell my own, acknowledge my musical tutelage and identify the women who mean so much to me. This album is dedicated to all my musical sisters, to those who went before and to those still making music. Thank you for blazing the trail, for fighting for us all with your irresistible talent and your passionate resolve.”
Sarah Jane Morris has been one of Britain’s great song interpreters since first finding fame in the 80s with bands like The Republic, Happy End and The Communards, singing on their chart-topping hit ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way.’ Since then she’s released 15 solo albums winning acclaim for her octave-vaulting contralto range which stretches from sonorous, reverberating low tones to a searingly soulful falsetto. Adding to her sweeping vocal palette she has developed an original lyricist’s expressiveness fuelled by a profound grasp of popular musical history. Stirred into that is an unflinching personal-political drive that has made social and sexual liberation and human rights issues the life-blood of many of her songs.
Over the past decade, those elements have coalesced in increasingly evocative ways – on landmark Morris projects including 2014’s Africa-dedicated Bloody Rain, 2016’s joyfully conversational Compared to What with guitarist Antonio Forcione, and the delicate and beautifully-arranged Sweet Little Mystery, a haunting valediction for Scottish avant-folk genius John Martyn, forged with guitarist and long-time collaborator Tony Rémy, who once again has joined forces with Sarah Jane, co-writing and producing The Sisterhood album.
‘The Sisterhood’ is a labour of love – a hard-won new triumph in an already prolific life at the cutting edge of contemporary music-making. Sarah Jane has stepped up to another creative level to create a richly referential, highly complex and strikingly original collection, clarifying the story of women in popular song. “It’s the best project I’ve ever been part of” says Sarah Jane with the passionate felicity of the true artist to the latest incarnation of her creativity. She describes her conviction simply: “It’s the passing of the torch from sister to sister”. Amen to that.
