Paul Rodgers is sharing his cover of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic, “Walk On By”, as a preview of “The Royal Sessions”, a collection of classic R&B and soul songs redone by the Bad Company singer due later this month.
Recorded at Memphis’ Royal Studios, historic home of Willie Mitchell and Hi Records, "The Royal Sessions" features Rodgers’ interpretations of songs by Sam Cooke, Albert King and Ann Peebles, among others.
Produced by Perry Margouleff, “The Royal Sessions” pairs Rodgers with an all-star roster of legendary musicians who played on the original hits dating back to the '60’s. The classic rhythm section includes Reverend Charles Hodges (Hammond B3), Michael Tolls (guitar), LeRoy Hodges Jr. (bass), “Hubby” Archie Turner (Wurlitzer), Steve Potts and James Robertson Sr. (drums), The Royal Horns and the Royal Singers.
“[Walk On By] was the one song where I did the vocal outside of the studio," Rodgers tells Billboard. “They had an arrangement I didn't quite follow, so I wanted to take it out and think about it. There's a part in the song where Charles just opens the door; it was kind of like an invitation to do what you feel there, and I wanted to take that away with me and think about how I was going to handle that. It had to be something appropriate, but simple, that you hardly even notice is there and blends into the total arrangement of the song. I think the way we did it really nicely dovetails in to the last, climactic chorus. It was lovely."
Rodgers says his philosophy for "The Royal Sessions" was "to show respect for the originals and at the same time take them slightly to somewhere else. You can't really go wrong with these songs; they're tried and true and tested, and I'm not really one for stripping the song down and re-creating it. If I like what I heard originally, that's why I want to sing it. So I'm fairly close to the originals, but you don't want to be just copying."
For a full tracklisting, click here.
All of the proceeds from “The Royal Sessions” will be donated to local Memphis music education programs. Special showcase performances by Paul Rodgers with the musicians on “The Royal Sessions” will be announced.
“The Royal Sessions” will be released worldwide on the following dates:
Jan 27 – Europe
Jan 28 – Canada
Jan 29 – Japan
Feb 04 – United States
Feb 07 – Australia
See also:
AUDIO: Paul Rodgers covers Otis Redding classic on new album
AUDIO: Paul Rodgers covers Sam & Dave classic on new album
VIDEO: Paul Rodgers previews The Royal Sessions
Bad Company: 40th anniversary of debut featured on In The Studio (part 2)
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Search Bad Company at hennemusic
