Homegrown Private Members Club: Leee John and Bill Sharpe “Intimate Glow” Album Launch

Homegrown Private Members Club

London’s prestigious Park Lane came alive when two of the UK’s iconic music acts Imagination’s Leee John and Shakatak’s Bill Sharpe celebrated their new collaborative album Intimate Glow.

Intimate Glow Album Cover buy at HMV and many other retail £17.99

The event was hosted at the Homegrown private members club. ALT’s editor Joy Coker managed to get a quick chat with songwriter, musician, producer Leee John on celebrating 40 years in the music industry, new single with Bill Sharpe Take Me Back reaching No.1 in the UK Soul Charts and looking forward to his 2024 UK tour.

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After a number of weeks at No.1 “Take Me Back” is still in the top 5 and now sits at number 3. A testament to what Leee describes as having “real musicians” play on the album. Intimate Glow is a studio produced album bringing the sounds of ” sophisticated smooth pop jazz” to your ears.

Most will know Leee from the UK iconic trio Imagination which was formed in 1981. Collaborations over the years include working with luminaries such as Mary Wilson, Damon Albarn Gorrilaz, Plastic Betrand, to name a few.

These partnerships underscore Leee John’s versatility and his ability to seamlessly blend his soulful vocals with diverse musical styles.

His latest collaboration with Bill Sharpe (Shakatak) sees the release of their album Intimate Glow, the first track on the album “Take Me Back” has already reached number one on the UK soul charts.

Leee said.

“I am really grateful, and it shows people appreciate, people are loving the music. The track “Take Me Back” is kind of a tribute to the 80’s the period where we grew up. When I wrote it I was reflecting going back in time which I do but do not always write about it.

But I remember when I wrote Flashback it was about what we had done in that year, and I thought I would put that into a song. So, with “Take Me Back”. I was going to try the same sort of thing. With the Intimate Glow album it’s a soul/jazz album, it got a nice organic feel to it. Bill Sharpe is a wonderful musician.

We have Mark King from Shakatak playing bass and you are hearing me singing, its very raw and as it is. Even with one of the tracks Double Dilemma there is kind of a slow reggae feel to it, but the lyrics are very heavy. Its about a relationship. But I am having a wonderful time and I hope people enjoy the album “Intimate Glow.”

Talking on how he manages to remain successful despite being “sometimes compressed” and staying relevant Leee says.

“Surviving 40 years in an industry, which is very difficult to maintain. You have to have certain disciplines, which I’ve had to adapt. And I adapted actually from a very young age. So that’s the thing that kept me going. And my work process is one of the things that I think have stabilized me.

You have to really be passionate about what you do, and you also have to have a work process about what you do and how you do it. And maintaining and then understanding what’s happening in society today, not only with people of your generation, but the younger generation. Also, how you can inspire the younger generation, especially after a while you become someone like me where they’re looking at you and thinking, how did you get there? They’re still playing your records. How did you do that?

So, then I become an advisor. I become an educator. Also, my role has changed and just being about me (solo artist). Everything that I do, everything I go forth with, it’s about educating to get to the next level and basically keeping the legacy of what I’ve been part of alive and inspiring.

And because we are from London, via the Caribbean, via Africa, people forget that we have so many creatives here in every aspect, from clothes, from visual, from music, every aspect. And the dynamic is so high, and it’s been sometimes compressed because it’s got the UK sign to it. But because I’ve been traveling globally for so many, many years, for a long time. And I think now people say, oh, but he was in Italy. Oh, he’s in France. Oh, he’s there, where is he next? But I’m carrying that flag.

And that flag starts with my parents from St. Lucia. From St. Lucia to London. So North London, East London. So, I’m actually carrying the UK where I was born, globally around, which people don’t realize.

St Lucian roots: Leee with mother Jessie Stevens MBE

And then there are other youngsters and other territories that see that and gravitate to that. And so, it’s much wider than what people think it is. So, the legacy of 40 years is a combination of so many different things. And there are some many magic moments that I’ve had”.

And there is so much more to come as Leee John is about to embark on his 2024 UK tour. In recent years tours have seen Leee John not only revisiting the beloved Imagination catalog but also showcasing new material from his solo endeavours. The concerts are a dynamic blend of nostalgia and contemporary musical exploration, creating an immersive experience for audiences. Tickets are on sale now.