Tuesday 28th March 2006
Photo Credit: Sean Cook
Singer Becky Jane Taylor, signed to EMI and A level student, has her beautiful new album, ‘By Your Side’ released through EMI on September 26th. Her voice, rich and mature beyond her teenage years, soars over an eclectic collection of songs destined for broad appeal.
Produced by Tolga Kashif and Jon Cohen, ‘By Your Side’ was recorded in London and features lush classical string arrangements alongside traditional Celtic sounds and keyboard programming on a collection of richly crafted songs. From the rousing opening track, ‘Prayer’ to the mystical closer, ‘Time’, Becky sings with total conviction and showcases the depth of her extraordinary voice.
The songs, by a diverse range of songwriters, cover broad emotional ground – love themes from the movies (‘Now We Are Free’ from Gladiator and ‘It Is You’ from Shrek), a 19th century poem set to haunting piano (‘The Bluebird’), classic songs such as the Grammy award winning ‘From A Distance’ made famous by Bette Midler and ‘Into White’, the little-covered 1971 gem by Cat Stevens. Closing this impressive album is the mighty ‘Time’, a powerhouse of a song written by the multi-million selling songwriting partnership of Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson
Becky was earmarked for stardom at an early age. At six years old she appeared as the young Eponine in the West End production of Les Miserables and made her first television appearance on Blue Peter three years later. Becky was signed to EMI Classics at the age of twelve and remains the youngest singer ever signed to the label. Her debut album, 'A Dream Come True', was released in September 2001 and enjoyed international success; in the same year she sang at the Farm Aid benefit gala concert (in aid of farmers who were affected by the foot and mouth crisis) at the Royal Albert Hall which was attended by His Royal Highness The Prince Of Wales. Becky's sensational performance of 'Once Upon A December' stole the show and led critics to hail her as a massive new talent. Since then, she has toured in the Far East, the USA and Europe and appeared in concert with a variety of different artists including Jose Carreras.
‘By Your Side’ is Becky’s second album for EMI and the follow-up to her debut, ‘A Dream Come True’. “Making this album was such fun!” she says. “I loved being in the studio and working with producers Tolga Kashif and Jon Cohen. I will remember the experience always and although it was hard work, we always had time for a laugh! I’m really pleased with the fresh and modern feeling of the music and I think it owes a lot to the relaxed style in which it was recorded.”
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
