“I think that, with this album, I finally get to showcase just who I am – an artist, a songwriter, a pianist” Roachford says. “I never wanted to be a fleeting popstar chasing momentary fame; I’ve always been in this for the music and for the long haul – and I’m still here. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a better place than I am right now.”
Having recently collected his MBE for Services To Music at Buckingham Palace, Roachford releases new single ‘High On Love’. With echoes of Womack and Womack in both its celebration of the purity of love and the acknowledgement that love can often come from a dark place, ‘High On Love’ follows the Radio 2 A Listed single ‘Love Remedy’.
“Recording High On Love was the most fun I’ve had in the studio in a long time. The song is uplifting but still has a depth to it. When you dig deep into yourself, the songs that come out tend to be brutally honest,” says Roachford.“I sometimes think that it’s easier for me to be more honest and open in song than it ever would be in normal conversation.”
Throbbing with musicality and soul, ‘Twice in a Lifetime’ is the sound of someone at the top of their game, of one who knows his craft inside out, and is the album Andrew Roachford been gearing up to make for decades. Produced by Jimmy Hogarth, who has previously worked with Paolo Nutini, Duffy and Amy Winehouse, and featuring several members of Winehouse’s band as well as a duet with Beverley Knight, it’s full of grit and the most tremendous sonic energy.
Roachford recently performed live on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show. Listen HERE
Since Cuddly Toy (a mainstay of radio airplay for over three decades now) reached number four in the charts back in 1988 Roachford has carved out a career for himself as one of the most compelling, and consistent, rock and soul artists the UK has produced. He has released 10 studio albums and several greatest hits collections, been sought-after as a songwriter by the likes of Michael Jackson, Joss Stone and Chaka Khan, and consistently toured on his own and with contemporaries including Terence Trent D’Arby and The Christians. For the past nine years, he has been part of Mike + the Mechanics, recording with Mike Rutherford’s post-Genesis band,playing live with them across the world.
And so, in 2020, Andrew Roachford finds himself writing and recording the best songs of his life. He’s come a long way from the giddy chart success of Cuddly Toy, with his deep-rooted desire to work at his trade and to make great music ever-present and never stronger. Those efforts have been duly noted: in January Roachford received an MBE for Services to Music. When the Princess Royal asked him what he does Roachford replied “I said that I try to evoke emotions from people through music.” He also said that he started playing piano when he was four years old and “never looked back” adding that he still enjoys playing the piano, “it’s an extension of me.”
Roachford is someone who channels the energy of James Brown before going on stage each night, and who, on record, summons up the spirit of everyone from Al Green to Joe Cocker. When he sings, you listen.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
Leave a comment