![Ex-Morcheeba vocalist goes it alone]( "Ex-Morcheeba vocalist goes it alone")
Ex-Morcheeba vocalist goes it alone
By ANGELA PACIENZA
TORONTO (CP) - Skye Edwards was relaxing on a family camping trip in the summer of 2003 when her manager called to say Morcheeba was dumping her.
As the face and sound of the band, the British singer was stunned. "I don't know what happened. They wanted to continue things without me, and wanted to try and work with other artists," she mused over the line from London, England.
After the shock wore off, the British singer, known for her whispery, ethereal vocals, decided it was the perfect time to go it alone.
It's taken her three years (she's still unclear why her former bandmates dropped her), but Edwards has resurfaced with an admirable solo album, which includes a track produced by Canadian uber producer Daniel Lanois.
"I wasn't really ready to leave the band," admitted Edwards of Morcheeba, the three-piece electronic pop outfit whose chill-out music became popular in the 1990s.
"They gave me a massive push and let me go and do my own thing. It was quite exciting really."
Mind How You Go, out this week, showcases Edwards's soothing vocals on 11 breezy songs which will appeal to fans of Dido as well as the usual Morcheeba crowd.
Born Shirley Klarisse Yonavive Edwards (her stage name Skye comes from her birth name initials), the singer met brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey at a friend's party in the early 1990s.
Initially, she was a reluctant singer crippled by intense shyness. Often, she'd ask her bandmates to leave the room when she recorded vocals. As Morcheeba blew up with songs like Trigger Hippie, Edwards found her confidence and became the face of the trio for fans.
"I don't think I was really brave enough to be the one to say 'OK guys, I'm leaving.' But I have always written on acoustic guitar. I would have hoped it would have developed more in Morcheeba," she said.
"I did go to them with lyrics and ideas but our roles were really clearly defined. I was the singer. It's nice to expand what I can do in my own way, writing lyrics and being more involved in the studio side of things."
To find her way alone, she studied songs by Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan to learn more about writing lyrics.
"I'm not saying I learned everything from those two . . . basically about telling a story," said Edwards, 32.
She paired with several established producers and in the end found her groove with Pat Leonard, whose credits include albums with Roger Waters, Jewel and Madonna. He's also scored success as a writer, helping the Material Girl pen Like A Prayer and Live To Tell.
She also spent some time with Lanois at his studio in Silver Lake, Calif.
"The door was wide open. The sun was shining in. You could hear nature happening outside. You record right there in front of the desk," she recalled.
Together they penned three songs but she could only afford one for her album.
"He's a big producer and has a big price tag to match," she said.
She chose Jamaica Days, a lullaby about Edwards's family roots.
"He had this little guitar riff and he played it," she said launching into the melody for Jamaica Days. "When I heard that I thought 'wow that's beautiful.' I could hear the words of the song."
Edwards hasn't been in touch with Morcheeba - who've since released a poorly received album, The Antidote, using singer Daisy Martey.
"I'm sure that they would wish me well," she said.
In the meantime, she's glad to have overcome her shyness so she could pursue music on her own.
Said Edwards: "I still get incredibly nervous before going onstage but I can get on stage without a drink which is great. I've grown up."
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On the Net: www.skyewebsite.com
http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2006/03/14/1487495-cp.html
