Aaron Neville returns to his gospel music roots with the release of I Know I’ve Been Changed, a stunning 12-song collection that finds the legendary R&B crooner paying homage to such early influences as Brother Joe May, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
“I wanted to do so many,” Neville says of trying to narrow down the songs he was going to record on the project. “[Producer] Joe Henry came up with some. The record company came up with some and I came up with some. We pooled them all together and came out with what we thought would be the best ones there. We had 35 songs to pick from.”
I Know I’ve Been Changed released November 9 on Neville’s own Tell It Records in partnership with EMI Gospel. “We did it all in five days. It was fun doing this album,” he says with a laugh. “Joe Henry was coming in off the road and I was coming in. Everybody’s schedule was kind of going haywire, so we had to work it out in those five days. It was cool to do it like that. I wouldn’t say we were under pressure because it was a joy working with the musicians and especially Alan Toussaint, my producer back in 1960.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Neville’s first recording session with Toussaint. Little did Neville know how much would unfold after those early sessions. He’s achieved success with his siblings, The Neville Brothers, and as a solo artist as well as in collaboration with Linda Ronstadt on GRAMMY-winning duets like “Don’t Know Much” and “All My Life.” His signature R&B anthem “Tell It Like It Is” remains one of the most celebrated classics in American music.
“Back in those days all I was thinking about is I wanted to sing,” the four-time GRAMMY winner says. “I wasn’t looking into the future and where it was going to wind up, or anything like that. I just wanted to sing at that time and that was the most important thing – to hear myself on the radio. I guess through the years passing by you learn more about the music and the music business, record companies and all of that. There were ups and downs but I wouldn’t change none of it. I have no regrets…I was put here to sing and I couldn’t think of me being here and not singing – maybe slowing down a little bit, but I couldn’t stop.”
Neville has no plans to rest on his laurels. He’s planning a tour and is working on a poetry project with Toussaint. “I’ve been working with Allen Toussaint on ‘Aaron Neville Inspirations.’ I’ve been giving him some of my poetry and he’s been putting music to it,” Neville explains. “So we’re going to try to have like a 50-year or 51-year
anniversary thing.”
