Songs In The Quaye Of Life

"As far as I'm concerned if I carry on the way I am now and I'm not around in five years time, it'll be an injustice. It certainly won't be my fault. I work hard."

To suggest that Finley Quaye is brimming with self-confidence would be an understatement of monumental proportions. The Edinburgh-born, London-based 26-year old who rose to rapid success following the release of Maverick A Strike in 1997, is clearly anxious to dispel any notions that he isn't here to stay.

"As far as my future success is concerned, I'm doing everything I can," he says. "It's up to others to keep their part of the bargain."

With its cool, sassy blend of jazz, blues, reggae and rock, Maverick A Strike spawned hits like 'Sunday Shining', 'Even After All', and 'Your Love Gets Sweeter', scooping him the Best Male Singer at the 1998 BRIT Awards.

But since then, Quaye has had more than his share of personal problems to contend with. They include a bout in the Priory Clinic for his alleged drink problems, a well-publicised liaison with the late Paula Yates and a court order to pay £260,000 to the mother of his six-year old son.

Back on the creative front, his new album Vanguard marks a change of direction for Quaye who seems to have abandoned his adherence to mainly black influences in favour of a more rock-oriented approach. The single 'Spiritualized' on which he sounds more like Lou Reed is almost unrecognisable as a Quaye creation, while he's also been involved in a recent collaboration with Primal Scream.

Thus far, the reviews for Vanguard have been mixed, with many pointing to a loss of direction compared with the more focused approach on its predecessor. Not surprisingly, Quaye disagrees with that assessment.

"It's just me," he says vaguely. "It's all soul in the end really. I think the majority of my fans will stick with me for this one."

The overall instrumental texture of Vanguard is, he says, heavily inspired by seventies FM rock.

"It's all down to the Steve Miller band's 'Fly Like An Eagle'. I think the album has that kind of atmosphere. I loved that lyric (sings) 'Time keeps on slipping, slipping into the future.' It's absolutely brilliant. Jimi Hendrix' Axis Bold As Love is another record I like. I love the way it opens up."

Born of Ghanaian parentage, Quaye's father is the jazz composer Cab Quaye, while his older brother Caleb played guitar for both Elton John and Hall and Oates. Finlay moved to Manchester and took a course in music and sound engineering, but was drawn to writing and performing before he could complete it. He then relocated to London where he joined the Donga Tribe and practised drumming for a period.

"You wouldn't believe what I was listening to when I was younger," he offers. "Appetite For Destruction by Guns and Roses was one I liked and I used to know all the words to all the Dire Straits albums. I loved that first album with 'Sultans of Swing' on it. All that stuff about coming down south to London town. I could relate to that coming down from the North myself. Brothers In Arms really grabbed me in 1985 - me and me mate and a few other friends who were a bit older were well into it."

Quaye's first foray into a professional career came when he sang on a session for A Guy Called Gerald. In 1997, he released the Ultra Stimulation EP which showcased a wide range of influences such as Charles Mingus, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. He also embarked on the live circuit, debuting at Bristol's Malcolm X centre. His first chart success, 'Sunday Shining', was followed by the release of his debut album. Despite his wide range of influences he claims not to be hung up on any particular style.

"I don't think I have role models," he says. "There are things that stand out from my record collection, that I return to, that changed my life and were a serious inspiration on my life. There's definitely guidance from Ray Charles I mentioned him on Jools Holland's programme recently and since them there's been non-stop Ray Charles programmes on the radio. If I can help it become trendy again then it's a good thing."

One song on the new album appears to be directed towards a certain Welsh band with whom Quaye recently crossed paths, as he explains.

"Yeah! The Manics gave me a bit of lip one day and I thought 'sod you, sod you. I will curse you. You've got seven days ha, ha'. I thought they were all right actually. I've been complimentary towards them in the past. But they tried to give me guidance. They seem to think I need a little bit of help. They seem to think I don't show up for interviews and stuff. I do show up for my interviews. They're label mates and I think my label boss has been feeding them some yarns and they took those yarns for real."

A Primal Scream remix of Finley's new single 'When I Burn Off Into The Distance' is another move which may surprise some of his fans.

"It's cool," he says. "It hit the nail on the head. I met the boys two years ago in London. We'd have a drink and that and hang around. But we kept our music separate. Then I sent them a copy of the album, they liked it and I liked their album, so it made sense to work together. It sounds like me playing with the 'Scream actually. It's really nice. I was delighted when I heard they were up for doing it. There was no-one else I'd work with."

For this album Quaye appears to be banking on heavy live promotion.

"The live thing had almost gone and people like me are bringing it back again," he suggests. "We're doing sixty dates around the UK, basically a 30-date tour twice. The band set up is similar to the old jazz boys or someone like Van Morrison," he continues. "He is the boss in his band and I'm the boss in my band. It's a well-disciplined show, a tight sound; I direct them. My drummer thanks me for that and he's become a better drummer for it. Discipline is the thing. We don't have guys on decks or anything like that.

"I'd also love to work with U2," he concludes. "I'd love to get on the back of their next tour. I loved 'Bullet The Blue Sky'. When I was fifteen The Joshua Tree was one of my favourite albums."

Vanguard is out now on Sony