2008 Woodie Awards
Piano Girl: An interview with Alexa Ray Joel
The Piano Man's daughter a rising star in her own right
Joel Ney
Issue date: 5/1/06 Section: Arts
JN: Do you have a favorite love song?
ARJ: I love "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," sung by Roberta Flack. I also love the way Roberta sings "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," which was written by Carole King. My all-time favorite love song, although it's not conventionally a "love song" by traditional standards, is "Goodnight My Angel," (otherwise known as "Lullabye"), which was written by my father. I think it's one of the most beautiful simple melodies I've ever heard, and the orchestration perfectly complements his voice. Ever since I was a child, that song has always comforted me.
JN: What albums are you listening to right now?
ARJ: Lately I've just been downloading songs onto my iPod, so I haven't been listening to any albums in full. I can't seem to get enough of Randy Newman's music these days. I've been downloading the acoustic versions of his songs, because I think when a song is that well-written, it often sounds best in its purest form (a.k.a. solely voice and piano). He uses a lot of lush, suspended chords in his songs, and his simply-phrased, almost conversational vocal style combined with his extremely melodic melodies is very evocative to me.
I just recently discovered the Dixie Chicks, and I can't seem to get enough of them either. I admire Natalie Maines's voice because it's so strong and crystal-clear, and she can sound very poppy when she wants to, but never "cute." Although their music is more country than pop, it's still refreshingly contemporary and the unique arrangement of their harmonies is like nothing I've ever heard, particularly on their cover of "Landslide" (by Stevie Knicks).
JN: Any definitive plans on releasing your own debut album?
ARJ: I'm very excited because I just finished recording my demo, which will soon be ready to shop to record companies. If I get a record deal, I'd love to take some time to write more material before I make any definitive plans to record an album. I've been very busy touring lately, and I want to make sure I have a good block of time set aside for songwriting.
JN: In a dream duet album, any particular musical artists come to mind with whom you'd like to collaborate?
ARJ: I would've loved to have collaborated with Ray Charles!
JN: Anything your fans don't know that they'll be most surprised to hear about you?
ARJ: That I'm a huge fan of my father's, but that doesn't mean I enjoy hearing every single fan's detailed stories about how their cousin's ex-boyfriend's wife met my dad twenty years ago!
ARJ: I love "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," sung by Roberta Flack. I also love the way Roberta sings "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," which was written by Carole King. My all-time favorite love song, although it's not conventionally a "love song" by traditional standards, is "Goodnight My Angel," (otherwise known as "Lullabye"), which was written by my father. I think it's one of the most beautiful simple melodies I've ever heard, and the orchestration perfectly complements his voice. Ever since I was a child, that song has always comforted me.
JN: What albums are you listening to right now?
ARJ: Lately I've just been downloading songs onto my iPod, so I haven't been listening to any albums in full. I can't seem to get enough of Randy Newman's music these days. I've been downloading the acoustic versions of his songs, because I think when a song is that well-written, it often sounds best in its purest form (a.k.a. solely voice and piano). He uses a lot of lush, suspended chords in his songs, and his simply-phrased, almost conversational vocal style combined with his extremely melodic melodies is very evocative to me.
I just recently discovered the Dixie Chicks, and I can't seem to get enough of them either. I admire Natalie Maines's voice because it's so strong and crystal-clear, and she can sound very poppy when she wants to, but never "cute." Although their music is more country than pop, it's still refreshingly contemporary and the unique arrangement of their harmonies is like nothing I've ever heard, particularly on their cover of "Landslide" (by Stevie Knicks).
JN: Any definitive plans on releasing your own debut album?
ARJ: I'm very excited because I just finished recording my demo, which will soon be ready to shop to record companies. If I get a record deal, I'd love to take some time to write more material before I make any definitive plans to record an album. I've been very busy touring lately, and I want to make sure I have a good block of time set aside for songwriting.
JN: In a dream duet album, any particular musical artists come to mind with whom you'd like to collaborate?
ARJ: I would've loved to have collaborated with Ray Charles!
JN: Anything your fans don't know that they'll be most surprised to hear about you?
ARJ: That I'm a huge fan of my father's, but that doesn't mean I enjoy hearing every single fan's detailed stories about how their cousin's ex-boyfriend's wife met my dad twenty years ago!
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