No question about it, Martina Topley Bird s singing holds a key to some classic British pop — hers is the voice of Tricky's masterwork Maxinquaye; she duetted with Roots Manuva on the last Gorillaz; and she currently sings with Massive Attack. Prior to Some Place Simple, her two solo albums are the MercuryЃ]nominated Quixotic, and the critically acclaimed Danger Mouse production The Blue God. Her collaborators range from Common, to Diplo, to Leila. Still, whilst Martina might need no such introduction in this context, her debut album for Honest Jon's is a radical departure. Equally, although Some Place Simple presents a kind of songbook, combining brand new compositions with old favourites, everything here sounds fresh. The trip hop stripped away, the music is intimate and alive, uncovered.
The idea for this record came from Damon Albarn after he saw the live show supporting Massive Attack last September in Brixton. Other friends had encouraged me to make a record in this constellation but he was the first to recognise the validity of including songs that had already been released in a previous incarnation. And that's what makes this unique. A fresh perspective.
MTB Recorded over one week at Damon's Studio 13 with musical cohort Fergus Gerrand, Some Place Simple is a jewel, a streamlined, spacious record that throws the spotlight exactly where it should be: on Martina’s lovely melodies and fine songwriting, and the voice wrapped round them — warm, limber and totally unmistakeable.
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