ALSO WORKING

…ARETHA FRANKLIN is making a new album in Detroit. The Queen Of Soul told city station Local 4 News’ Evrod Cassimy, “Stevie [Wonder, right, with ’Ree] is going to bring some new music for me.” Her granddaughter Victorie and son Eddie will also appear: alongside new material there’ll be covers of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going

On and widely-covered Christmas song Mary, Did You Know? …SAINT ETIENNE’s Home Counties arrives in June. A concept piece about a day in the life of southern England, its glowing retro-pop vignettes include the Enfield Poltergeist, Brexit and, on Train Drivers In Eyeliner, a cap-doffing to Nick Sanderson, late frontman of Earl Brutus …BLACK GRAPE ’s new LP is out in summer. Says Shaun Ryder, “writing-wise we’ve topped the first album” …ska veterans MAROON TOWN are taking the PledgeMusic route for their fifth LP. Rocksteady, Latin and rap influences are promised: five per cent of all cash raised over their target will go to youth work in Jamaica, such as reggae conservatoire the Alpha Boys School … PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT will release an as-yet-untitled new album in summer. Produced by John Owen Williams at Chairworks in Castleford, songs include The Future Mrs Heaton, I Gotta Praise and She Got The Garden. As ever, Heaton (left) wrote his lyrics in the Dutch towns of Monnickendam and Volendam, and the music in a hotel in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria. Since 1985 he’s used an old portable Philips tape recorder to gather ideas, but has now switched to smart phone…