Nearly a month after releasing his latest modern rock opera, Who To Love, Dave Stewart turned to different measures with more horns, piano—and full-blown jazz—on his new album Cloud Walking. Co-written and co-produced by Stewart and pianist Hannah Koppenburg, the nine-track album was the result of several improvised jam sessions.
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“I love jamming with Hannah,” said Stewart in a statement. “We turned a couple of our jam sessions into these jazz, bluesy tunes and decided we loved them. This turned into a lot of fun working with great horn players and writing melodies that lend themselves to improvisation. It really was a joy to make this album.”
Koppenburg said once they had the songs lined up, a horn section was brought in to improvise over the tracks. “Those were some of my favorite studio days because it all just came together so spontaneously and easy,” said Koppenburg. “Also the music is so uplifting, so we were all just in such a good mood the whole time. The title track is my favorite track of the album. I remember I was at the studio a little before Dave and just started playing on the piano in the corner. Eventually, I came up with that little piano melody.”
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She continued, “Dave had the idea of ‘cloud walking’ which is such a great concept and perfectly describes the entire album: abstract, fun, and light.”
Following the release of Who To Love, along with its companion film, which premiered at the Rome Film Festival in October 2023, Stewart also debuted his musical, The Time Traveler’s Wife, in London., He is also in the middle of playing shows around his Eurythmics Songbook: Sweet Dreams 40th Anniversary Tour in Europe, featuring an all-female band of musicians and singers.
The shows are a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Eurythmics’ 1983 breakthrough album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), and marks the first time in more than 23 years that the band’s music has been played on a tour.
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In August, Stewart revealed that his other half in Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, is no longer touring but decided to take the songs on the road with her blessing.
“I love performing these songs,” said Stewart on his social media pages. “I spent thousands of hours crafting them in the studio and had the best partner in Annie but she has said she won’t be touring anymore which I totally understand but I love our songs and I love playing live so I have selected brilliant all female musicians and three wonderful female vocalists. I promise a stunning show full of memorable songs.”
Stewart will shift gears again in 2024 when he takes the Eurythmics Songbook tour on the road with a series of dates with Bryan Adams, beginning January 20 and running through March 17.
Cloud Walking Track List:
“Cloud Walking”
“Echoes of You”
“Speechless”
“Soho Secrets”
“Bar Italia Blues”
“Wandering Down Wardour Street”
“Dean Street Swinger”
“Drury Lane”
“Closer To You”
Photo: Giuseppe Maffia / Courtesy of Milestone Publicity
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