‘We didn’t really know if our voices would blend’
Aled Jones talks to Kevin Cooper about tour
YOU are heading for Nottingham in October with Russell Watson to take your album, Harmony, on the road. Whose idea was it to put the two of you together?
To be honest it was both of us, really. At the time Classic FM were counting down their most successful chart of the last 25 years and Russell was up there as the biggest-selling male artist so I sent him a rather condescending text saying “congratulations” through gritted teeth. To that Russell replied “we should do something together” and I said “well it is funny that you should say that, I was thinking exactly that yesterday”. And then fast forward two months and we were in the studio together.
I have been told that both you and Russell were slightly nervous about the collaboration at the outset, is that correct?
Both Russell and I were both slightly nervous as we didn’t really know if our voices would blend together naturally for the album. In fact we didn’t know until we had finished the album. I can remember being on a bus over in Australia when the tracks got sent over to me, and I was amazed at just how simply our voices blended together. Neither of us have ever done anything like this before. I had previously recorded a duet with my own boy voice on three previous albums but I had never recorded a duet with anyone else. The fact that Russell comes from an operatic background with the big, big voice that he has got, and the fact that I am more lyrical really, then on paper you really wouldn’t have put us together. But I have to say that in my opinion it really does work a treat.
What has the fans’ reaction been like?
The album has gone gold here in the UK and, yes, I think we actually surprised quite a few people with the album. What I love more than anything is that people are always commentating on the harmony aspect. It would have been very easy for us to have gone into a studio and record me singing a verse, Russell singing a verse and then both of us singing in unison. However, throughout the album the harmonies are really intricate and exciting so when people take the time to comment about that I love it, I am really pleased.
Just how long have the two of you known each other?
Russell and I have known each other for over 20 years now. The music business really is a small world; you tend to bump into one another backstage at various events all of the time, and on top of that Russell and I were always sending each other texts and we have always got on right from the very first time that we met. The album simply felt like the most natural thing for the two of us to do.
There are 14 tracks on the finished album – how many did you start out with?
In the old days when I was selecting tracks for a new album I would usually start with around 120 tracks. However, there were not that many tracks to choose from for this album, as time really was against us. Russell made a list of the tracks that he wanted to record, and I made a list of the tracks that I would like to record, and to our surprise there were quite a few of the same tracks on both our lists; things like How Great Thou Art and You Raise Me Up. So it really was an easy process, and three emails later between Russell and I and it was done.
Were there any tracks that were harder to record than the others?
The Nimrod one, Where Should This Music Be, was actually quite a tough one because everyone knows the melody line so well, and I have to tell you that the harmonies really were quite tricky. Sir Karl Jenkins wrote Bright Horizons especially for the album and the harmonies on that song were particularly difficult for me and Russell to learn. I actually sent Sir Karl a text when I was learning the harmonies saying “thanks a bunch for this, it has taken me back to my choirboy days”. However, having said that, I have to say that it was well worth the investment, having one of his original tracks on the album really was amazing. It was great for me to sing Volare which is something that I wouldn’t normally do. That really was a lot of fun and will most definitely be performed on the forthcoming tour.
Is there one particular track on the album that you are really looking forward to performing live on the tour?
I actually think that every track on the album is great but for some reason I really do like Cinema Paradiso; I absolutely love that song, it really is lovely. At this moment in time I currently love to sing How Great Thou Art, because that too really is a beautiful song and I love singing it.
What format will the show take; will you and Russell be on stage together all night or will you both have solo spots?
For most of the evening Russell and I will be onstage together although having said that, Russell and I will most probably sing a few songs of our own.
Will you be performing the album in its entirety?
I wouldn’t say that we will be performing the album in its entirety but we will be performing most of it.
Aled Jones & Russell Watson: In Harmony will be at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, on Wednesday, October 2. Tickets: trch.co.uk or 0115 989 5555 Price: £29.50 to £55.