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Soul in the whole
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by GERARD DEE For Toronto-based soul singer Divine Brown, songwriting ideas are like thunderstorms—they come upon her suddenly. “Inspiration can hit me at any time,” says Brown. “It could be in the day, at night, it could hit me when I’m in the shower, it doesn’t matter. I like the process of writing because there’s so much to be inspired by in life and having the ability to put that on paper is one of the best tools that I have as an artist to express myself.” Brown has been expressing herself on the Toronto music scene for years. Her 2005 self-titled debut finally propelled her into the national spotlight. The album’s retro vibe was a clear expression of Brown’s early influences. “I grew up listening to those old school sounds and those were the sounds that really cemented who I am as an artist, so it’s a natural part of my DNA.” The title of her equally soulful sophomore effort, The Love Chronicles, is a reflection of the album’s two themes. “A lot of the stories I’m telling, I’m talking about love, but I’m also chronicling different periods of soul music.” From the doo-wop beat of “Meet Me at the Roxy” to the ’70s-style funk of “Boogie Slide,” Brown covers the width and breath of soul music, all the while imbuing each song with its own unique vocal stamp. It’s no wonder she considers every song on the album her favourite. “I have different reasons why I’m attached to different songs,” she says. “Songs like ‘Sweet Surrender’ remind me of when I was at home, sifting through the records that were there—they’re really memory-based. Some songs I’m attached to because I can hear my influences in them. Like ‘Jumpstart,’ really takes me back to the time when I was studying Chaka Khan, vocally as well as musically.” Brown is effusive about her love for the legendary funk/soul singer and doesn’t hesitate to cite her as the artist she would most like to work with. “Chaka Khan is a one-of-a-kind artist that you just don’t see every day. She makes belting out high notes look really easy. She just opens her mouth and it’s like, ‘Where is all that sound coming from?’” These days, Brown’s starting to collect her own accolades. She’s nominated in two categories at this year’s Juno awards, for Best R&B/Soul recording for The Love Chronicles and Single of the Year for the album’s lead-off, “Lay It On the Line.” While Brown is thrilled about the Juno nominations, she’s even more excited about being recognized at Montreal’s third annual Sounds of Blackness Awards, which takes place on March 1 at the Théâtre Outremont. “That’s an amazing opportunity and an amazing event,” she says of the gala. “I’m really hand-over-fist elated that I’ve been considered.” Brown thinks these kinds of events are important, especially for Canadian urban artists who sometimes have a harder time getting airplay than their pop counterparts. “Radio is very challenging. I’m a very songwriter-based artist, meaning I love melodies. The things that really draw me in are the melodies and the structure of the song. I really try to maintain that aspect when it comes to songwriting because it is an art. And I think that having that understanding works for me in terms of radio.” WITH SEAN JONES AT CABARET DU |
