Singer/songwriter Keri Noble Talks About Her Debut Album Fearless, on Manhattan/EMI Records

Keri Noble, a piano-playing singer/songwriter (who grew up in Detroit and is now based in Minneapolis), is building a strong following with Fearless, her debut album for Manhattan/EMI Records. Noble was signed to Manhattan by label execs Arif Mardin (the legendary producer of Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Norah Jones) and Ian Ralfini, who also served as executive producers of her album. Noble has also been touring the country and impressing audiences with her live performances, and has opened shows for Cyndi Lauper, Howie Day and Bob Schneider. She is introducing the world to her cordial yet endearing collection of songs, and fervor in music that is sure to take her worlds beyond the coffeehouses she got her start in.

Growing up with her father, a pastor of a Southern Baptist church, and her mother, a high school Spanish teacher, she listened to mostly Christian and gospel music.  It was in high school that she was first exposed to R&B and hip-hop, but it wasn’t until she was 18 that she heard Joni Mitchell’s album Blue. It was after hearing this album that she realized the integrity in songwriting, and what she claims awoke the songwriter in her.

“I started writing poetry and I was sort of doing it to get out different feelings I was having,” Noble says of her first step in songwriting.  Eventually she pulled out her keyboard and began putting her poetry to music: “A friend of mine heard me and thought I was good, so I started playing coffeehouses and it progressed from there. It turned into a passion where I realized I love this and it doesn’t feel like work. Actually, it is work, but the good kind of work.” That work has paid off for Noble, who claims she never had any doubts to hold her back. “I never saw myself doing this fulltime; I just thought that I’d play these shows and it was a good outlet. I was still waiting tables at the time. I wasn’t thinking of it as a career and that maybe I could get signed by a label. But then, as I continued to play and meet musicians, I started feeling like I was taking it more seriously. It kind of evolved where I said, ‘I want to be a musician, how can I do that?’”

Noble answered that question in Minneapolis, which she claims to be a very artistic (and cold) city, and one which turned out to be exactly the appropriate venue for her music. To her, Detroit was where she began writing songs and served as a preparation for Minneapolis. “There were so many musicians who were so good and who were very serious about their craft. They weren’t just writing songs to write songs, but trying to write the best songs that they were capable of writing. That’s when I started taking it more seriously,” she explains. She had first met another singer-songwriter named Billy McLaughlin in Detroit, who she then played with in Minneapolis, and who introduced her to a community of singer-songwriters.

“The most important thing was being around people who were better than me, and watching how they did it.  I think whenever you’re playing or working with someone more talented or more evolved in their skill, it makes you either quit or gives you drive to evolve yourself as well. I think that’s what happened, because there’s a pretty big change in my writing and focus upon moving here (to Minneapolis),” said Noble. She then met Jeff Arundel, who initially produced demos with her, and later producer her album for Manhattan Records. It was with Arundel (who is also a singer/songwriter), that she began to formulate different ideas about music and decided to go ahead and advance her career beyond the coffeehouses. Through him, she began working with a manager and doing different showcases, which ultimately led to Mardin & Ralfini hearing her music, and signing her to Manhattan.

Noble went on to record her first album Fearless, which she claims was an exciting process, especially being in New York. “Recording in New York City was really great for me,” Noble said. “The label is great and they’re pretty laid back. I by the time they signed me they had done enough talking and listening (about her music), so they felt pretty confident in what I was capable of. They didn’t really hang out at the studio pressuring us. They let us just create.” With the creative assistance of executive producer Arif Mardin, what evolved was an honest collection of songs that reflected Noble’s life. A natural, clean and organic sound is what she craved in the production process, and that is exactly what she got. Noble possesses the raw talent, where her songs are in no need of extra complicated arrangements. They are elegant in their simplicity and allow the listener to just focus on her voice and the song.

Fearless is a classy and gorgeous album, and one of the most notable new albums to be released this year (the album was released in March). Noble has a unique perspective on songwriting, and is a writer who is very open about her songs. This is even demonstrated in her liner notes which accompany the lyrics, where she gives a brief synopsis of what each song is about.  As for the process of songwriting, Noble said, “It just kind of happens. I definitely try and sit down and develop an idea, but really the songs that made it on to Fearless are the ones that come fairly quickly and when you’re not expecting it. The process would vary. I could be watching TV, and all of a sudden the whole song could pop into my head, and I’d just rush over to the piano. That’s usually how it happens.”

The current status of singer/songwriters could either be a great thing or a struggle for someone like Keri Noble. There are many opportunities right now for singer/songwriters, in that the music industry and audiences are so open to this form of music. There has definitely been a surge of musicians who write and perform their own music, but that can also be difficult when trying to stand out from the rest. This is something, however, that Noble should have no problem with, as she has a very unique mentality to her music that only enhances her talent.

“I think music’s always changing, it’s always going in a circle,” she explained. For a while it was pop, and then there’s grunge, and now people are in the singer/songwriter mode. Eventually, I’m sure that will shift again. But I think the beautiful thing about singer/songwriters - people who write their own music and don’t need much accompaniment, who can just travel with a guitar or keyboard—is that usually it’s focused on the classic good song, and I think that doesn’t really ever go out of style. There’s always an audience who wants to hear a good song, a good progression, a good melody. Something they can sing to, and something that’s honest.”

For Noble, the most difficult thing in her path to success has been exposure. Performing alone is job that requires a lot of work, but when doing the work alone, it can also be difficult to promote themselves. The hardest part is trying to get a fan base, maintain that fan base, and then bring in more fans who not have been exposed to your music. Her method has always been going along the grassroots style, and though obtaining a strong fan base can always be a strong obstacle, Noble seems well on her way to building a coalition of fans throughout the country, as well as the world. This summer she plans on playing in shows in both Japan and Barcelona, and then she will eventually come back to the U.S. to play major cities on the East and West coasts.

Keri Noble is a diligent and inspiring singer-songwriter, and the work she has put into her career is most certainly paying off. For those like Noble who also are aspiring singer/songwriters, she gives the advice that it is most important to play and keep playing. “Don’t turn down any opportunities. Performing makes you better. It’s important that you play as often as possible. Surround yourself with people that will enjoy music and that will give you that desire to play,” she suggests. That mentality has certainly worked for Noble. It is no surprise that she has had so much success, and she is only at the beginning of conquering a whole new world of music that awaits this promising new talent.

Nicole Roberge is a freelance music/entertainment journalist. She can be contacted at nicolemroberge@hotmail.com

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