10cc mainstay Graham Gouldman has announced that he will release a brand new solo album, I Have Notes, through Lojinx Records on July 5.
The album features guest appearances from an array of stars including Ringo Starr, Queen guitarist Brian May, Hank Marvin, Albert Lee, as well as featuring a cover courtesy of Peter Curzon at StormStudios (of course Storm Thergerson of Hiognosis were responsible for several notable 10cc album covers). You can see the artwork below.
“The cover art works beautifully, I think”, enthuses Gouldman. “You may understand it, you may not. But you know something interesting is happening."
I Have Notes is preceded by first single, the jaunty, Americana-themed We're Alive which you can listen to below.
"I wrote this song in Nashville last year with Beth Nielsen Chapman and Gordon Kennedy," Gouldman explains. "Both of whom I’ve worked with before. I just started playing this opening riff, there's some nodding going on, it sounded quite exuberant and so the theme had to be something life-affirming. Beth came up with the We're Alive title, and then we finished off the song really quickly together.
"There are certain references, which I love, that are kind of interesting. "Pull back the sofa, wind up the gramophone". You know who's got a gramophone? Nobody!"
The album features an array of musical styles including what is being referred to as a "space-ballad" (Floating In Heaven with May), the "unashamed Beatle-inspired" Couldn’t Love You More (featuring Starr), the "long-lost 10cc-era confessional I’m Lazy" and a live rendition of Heart Full Of Soul, featuring an all-star band Brian May and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal on guitar, Derek Sherinian on keyboards, Ric Fierabracci on bass and Simon Phillips on drums.
Gouldman will premiere I Have Notes with two special one-off album launch shows on July 1 and 2, at Pizza Express Live in Holborn, which will see him debut songs from I Have Notes, along with favourites from across his incredible career.
