Conceived as a tribute to the influential Northern Soul movement that emerged in Northern England during the early 1970s, British musician and producer Paul Wheatcroft captures its essence and sound, employing a diverse array of techniques and tools.
As Paul Wheatcroft describes:
“The album took 9 months to write, record and produce. I played or programmed everything and the Memphis singer Rachel Maxann provided vocals. In terms of production, it was recorded using a special plugin which mimics the sound of 1960s microphones. I studied the way the ‘Motown’ sound was achieved and tried to replicate that, including the ‘bleed’ you get between microphones when instruments are recorded to gather in the same room. Then I used a series of effects to mimic 1960s ’solid state’ analogue mixing desks and reverbs. Reverbs became very important because the instruments are recorded at specific distances from the listener, to give a depth to the sound. After that, the mixing and mastering was done as flat as possible, to allow the natural sounds of the instruments to come through.
The album is based on a quote from a book by Cormac McCarthy, and really continues the ’tainted love’ theme which characterizes Northern Soul.”
However, Beauty Makes Promises Beauty Can’t Keep is not simply a modernized rendition of the Northern Soul atmosphere enhanced by contemporary technology. Instead, it is rooted in a thoughtful compositional approach, where the iconic Motown sound serves as a foundation for the artist to craft a new subjective identity. This approach pays homage to the past while reinterpreting it through a contemporary lens.
The result is a unique concept imbued with the energy of soul music, capturing the personal vision and creativity of its author.