Born in Chicago, Jackie Wilson's goddaughter Jody Watley has had a long and full career, including a stint as a Soul Train dancer. One of the most enjoyable aspects of preparing for this interview with Watley was having the chance to immerse myself in some vintage Jody Watley. Beginning with her role as a member of the dance music trio Shalamar, whose best known hits include 'Dancing In The Sheets,' 'Second Time Around,' 'Take That To The Bank,' and 'Make That Move,' and continuing on to her successful solo career where she scored with the songs 'Looking For A New Love,' 'Some Kind Of Lover,' 'Don't You Want Me,' and 'Real Love,' Watley has been an important force in contemporary dance music. Midnight Lounge (Avitone/Shanachie) is her first new studio album in a few years and it's great to hear her voice again. Whether she's pumping out a dance cut as she does on 'Whenever' and 'I Love To Love' or slowing down the jam as she does on 'Clouds' or 'More,' Watley sounds terrific any time of day.
GS: In 1987, you won a Best New artist Grammy. What do you think of this year's best new artist?
JW: Exceptional (laughs). Norah Jones has a beautiful voice, classic. I thought it was a good choice. To win any type of accolade, whether you're in school and you win the academic decathlon or whether you are an artist aspiring to make it in the music business. To get any type of accolades, be it Grammy awards or just people on the street who are so enthusiastic and always give you love and encouragement and support, I think it's great. There's no down side to it, whether artists ever win them again. To me there's really no pressure because you just go about the business of making the music that you enjoy and that is reflective of you. That's always been my perspective and that's sort of how I look at it.
GS: You contributed the song 'After You' to the Red, Hot & Blue AIDS fundraising disc in 1991.
JW: The first one of many.
GS: Yes. How important is it for you to be a voice in the realm of AIDS activism?
JW: It's always been very important. In fact, when I did that project it was against the wishes of my record company at the time, because AIDS and HIV was new and people didn't really know a lot about it. Some people felt with me being involved in a project like that it would be assumed that I probably had AIDS too, because otherwise why should I care. I did it because it was something that was very important and being a Black artist and a Black person it seemed to me, especially at that time, before there was hip hop and artists that were speaking out against certain issues. It seemed like Black artists were afraid of offending anybody or rocking the boat. It seemed like no one really said anything about anything with regard to that. It gave me a great opportunity to be in magazines like Jet and do some of the wide-ranging press that was I was doing that was mainstream, but it was also directed towards minority communities. It's great. I've continued to donate my time whether if it's through performance or other areas outside of the spotlight, to be a part of something that really should be a concern to everyone.
GS: Absolutely. On your new album, Midnight Lounge, you explore a few musical genres, beginning with the chill-out vibe of the opening title track and 'Saturday Night Experience.' What do you think about that after-hours-music scene?
JW: It's what I like (laughs). I listen to a variety of music. I've always been a fan and a huge supporter of dance music. So, Midnight Lounge, for me, was a natural progression. My music has always reflected a bit of myself every step of the way. Midnight Lounge, in that way, is no exception and to record a project like this that's danceable but it has sophistication to it. The lyrics, I think, are meaningful because I always try to write the things that, to a certain degree, I'm thinking about. So, it fits nicely. Some of my favorite records of the past year like Zero 7, Weekend Players, Charles Webster, Jazzanova, a lot of great music that doesn't really have a voice in the mainstream, but certainly have a wealth of fans that appreciate those type of sounds.
GS: And a following that's growing all the time, don't you think?
JW: I certainly hope so. Dance is probably one of the most underrated forms of music and one of the most diverse. When people think of dance, some automatically think of high energy techno and that's it. From house to drum-n-bass, deep house, garage, there are so many elements of it. One thing that I like about house music, for instance, (is that) it incorporates elements of jazz, classics. Same with drum-n-bass, it's very progressive. It's imperative for me, which carries over into my artistic career, to feel as though I'm moving forward and to do so with my actions. I'm never repeating a formula that may have worked for me in the past, I'm constantly stepping out of whatever I did before because I feel differently all the time and so when you're creating, even though it probably presents more of a problem in some ways, I find it more rewarding to stay true to that.
GS: I think the listeners appreciate that. 'Photographs' has a Chic feel and style …
JW: That was my inspiration.
GS: So would you say that you consider Nile Rogers and the late Bernard Edwards to be artistic influences?
JW: Absolutely. Sorely underrated, as far as I'm concerned. I think they had a huge impact on pop music and the transition of what was happening in R&B visually as well as musically. I worked with Bernard on 'Don't You Want Me?,' on my first album and I first met Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards around the time they produced Diana Ross' 1980 album. I met them around that time, so when I was thinking of the concept of pictures which came about (because) I have a huge collection of photographs of my personal life with my kids, ex-husbands, friends that I've lost along the way, my career. So, I was trying to start to organize some of these images and it made me think and that's where I wrote the song. The vibe and concept of what I was thinking about came out in moments caught in time. But then I thought the groove of it should be something that had a classic feeling to it. Actually, at the time I was listening to Daft Punk who had a song that reminded me of an old Chic record. Those are a combination of elements, but I think Chic, the work they did for the group, for Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, and David Bowie, (is) great classic stuff.
GS: I think your cover of Peter Gabriel's 'Don't Give Up' is also lovely.
JW: It's one of my favorite Peter Gabriel songs. Actually, there was an independent music project called Leaves From the Tree, which was a tribute to Peter Gabriel and all of artists, much like with Red Hot & Blue, were given the opportunity to pick any song they wanted to record that had been written by Gabriel. That was always one of my favorites, with Gabriel and Kate Bush. It's a powerful song and I just felt it was something I would like to do. Dave Warren, came up with the arrangement for it, and I was really happy with how it turned out.
GS: Midnight Lounge is being released on your label Avitone, through Shanachie, which is a label known for its world music and folk releases. How did you come to be involved with them?
JW: I was working on licensing Midnight Lounge and even though Shanachie hasn't had a presence in this style of music they have such an enthusiasm to break into this style that it was a good choice because genuine enthusiasm is priceless. People tend to work a little harder when it may be something they haven't done before. I've done some work with Giant Step also and Giant Step is actually helping with some of the marketing as well.
GS: Is there a tour in the works in support of Midnight?
JW: Yes. There will be a small-scale intimate Midnight Lounge tour. I'm definitely coming to Chicago. I've been doing a poll on my Web site asking 'if you want me to come to your city, send me an e-mail.' I was born in Chicago, but didn't really grow up there. Chicago has always been a great city for me too, so I'm definitely going to be coming to Chicago for sure, late spring.
