Julia Fordham

Country of origin:

England

Type of music generally:

An eclectic singer-songwriter. Her powerful vocal delivery has distinctly jazzy and bluesy influences. Backed by a mixture of acoustic and electric instruments which varies from song to song. (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Smooth jazz/pop. (Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE)

Status:

Most recent release, Cutting Room Floor (2021)

See also:

Julia Fordham's site

Wikipedia's entry on Julia Fordham

Julia Fordham's Facebook page

Comparisons:

Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Joan Armatrading, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone. (ishara@blarg.net)

I'd add Alison Moyet to that list. (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Joan Armatrading. (Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE)

Covers/own material:

Almost exclusively own material (a very few co-written songs and even fewer covers)

General comments:

Wonderful late-night music. Julia has a superb voice and really knows how to use it. Emotionally powerful singing coupled with sophisticated lyrics. Tinges of jazz and blues here and there. Wow! (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

i haven't cared much for her recent albums, though i have yet to hear the latest one. (woj@smoe.org)

I haven't really listened to anything by Julia Fordham since Porcelain, which for me, was a great and beautiful album—and something I listened to often back when it came out. I pretty much had it on constant rotation. I certainly can hear the jazz and blues influence in her music but I have never heard that much RnB in her stuff. (iflin@speakeasy.net)

Comments about live performance:

When I saw her live, Julia was lovely and funny and, oh my god...her fans don't call her "our little goddess" for nothing! It was hell to see her go. (beckwith@ime.net)

I've been a fan since Porcelain, and was quite saddened when she seemed to be thrown under the bus by her record companies of late. Despite being a long-time fan, I'd never seen her live and I had no idea what to expect.
     Wow. Not only is she a great singer and performer, but she's wicked funny. She told some great stories about events that helped create some of her new songs. "Italy" was inspired by a waiter in Italy when she was visiting with her family. She also talked about how India.Arie had come to her house for a tea party, and India insisted that Julia sing "Concrete Love" at which point India sung a wonderful harmony. They ended up re-recording the song to add India's harmony.
     The other funny story was about the Portugese verse in "Genius". Apparently a fan from Brazil flew up to NY this past week to see Julia. The fan gave Julia roses, they chatted for a while and Julia finally asked the Portugese woman what she thought of Julia's Portuguese in "Genius". The woman replied "Not so good!".
     Julia was joined for the first time in the tour by a guitarist who played electric guitar/Roland guitar synth to nice effect. He was still getting comfortable with the songs, but was obviously very good. (7/01, jeffw@smoe.org)

Julia was fine, although her voice was also lost a bit in the mix. She had a full band (drums, bass, guitarist, keys) and was full of amazing energy. A totally different experience from the show I saw last summer where it was just her and...another guy (was it her drummer or guitarist? i can't remember). That Boston show I liked a lot because it was so stripped down and showcased her voice; her songs took on an earthy, heartfelt soul quality that made me all melty...this full band show was still nice, but the added elements made her soulful music seem a little cheesy. (4/03, Paul2k@aol.com)

Recommended first album:

Falling Forward is in my opinion far and away her strongest album. (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Porcelain or Concrete Love. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Recordings:

• Julia Fordham (1988)
• Julia Fordham/Live (1989)
• Porcelain (1989)
• Swept (1991)
• Falling Forward (1994)
• East West (1997)
• The Julia Fordham Collection (1998)
• Concrete Love (2002)
• That's Life (2004)
• That's Live (2005)
• Baby Love EP (2007)
• Songbook (compilation, 2007)
• China Blue (2008)
• Unusual Suspects (with Paul Reiser, 2010)
• Under the Rainbow (re-recordings, 2013)
• The Language of Love (mostly covers, 2014)
• Mixed, Shaken & Stirred (remixes, 2016)
• Live and Untouched (live, 2016)
• Woman to Woman (with Beverly Craven and Judie Tzuke, 2018)
• Magic (2019)
• Cutting Room Floor (2021)

Julia Fordham

Release info:

1988—Circa Records—UK: CIRCD 4; International: 777 7 86074-2

Availability:

Generally available

Ecto priority:

Medium to high (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Group members:

Julia Fordham—lead & backing vocals

Guest artists:

Omar Hakim—drums
Pavid Palmer—drums
Tony Levin—bass
David Sinclair—bass
Luis Jardim—percussion
Bashiri Johnson—percussion
Robbie Kondor—keyboards
Grant Mitchell—keyboards
Carlos Alomar—guitars
Michael Cozzi—guitars
Taj Wyzgowski—guitars
Antonio Forcione—guitars
David Sinclair—'cello & stick
The New West Horns—brass section
Ashley Slater—trombone
Noel Langley—trumpet & flugelhorn
Andy Snitzer—sax
Naomi Osborne—backing vocals
Claudia Fontaine—backing vocals
Caron Wheeler—backing vocals
Robin Clark—backing vocals
Angie Giles—backing vocals
Grant Mitchell—backing vocals & programming
Bill Padley—backing vocals & programming
John O'Kane—guest vocals

Produced by:

Bill Padley, Grant Mitchell, Hugh Padgham and Julia Fordham

Comments:

A tremendously strong debut album. The lyrics take an honest look at life as seen through the eyes of an intelligent, liberated, single woman of the late '80s. Julia's writing consistently hits the mark and the vocal performances delight. There just isn't a single dud song on the album. In spite of the welter of guest musicians featured, the focus is firmly on Julia's superb voice. Musical arrangements are tasteful and restrained, if a little samey. Looking back on this album, it's amazing to realise that Julia managed to surpass it...twice! (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

A solid first album. A lot of her most memorable songs, including "Happy Ever After," "Comfort of Strangers," and "Invisible War," are on this one. There's a little something for everyone: African percussion, folk music, and a lot of jazz-piano ballads. (ishara@blarg.net)

I love her first cd. (LynnGarrett@aol.com)

Julia Fordham/Live

Release info:

1989—Virgin Japan—VJD 2501; released as VJCP-3056

Availability:

Officially released only in Japan. Can sometimes be found in import sections of major stores in other countries. Available by mail order from cdeurope.com

Ecto priority:

Low (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Group members:

Julia Fordham—vocals

Produced by:

Bill Padley, Grant Mitchell, Julia Fordham, & Hugh Padgham

Comments:

This Japanese-only release packages four tracks from Julia Fordham with live versions of five more songs from that album plus the song "My Mistake" (also live) which appears on no other album. The live performances show Julia and (uncredited) band really cutting loose in front of an appreciative (but not intrusive) crowd. A wonderful treat for her fans, but far from essential for the general listener. (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Porcelain

Release info:

UK version: 1989—Circa Records—UK: CIRCD 10; International: 777 7 86449-2
US version: 1990—Circa Records (distributed by Virgin Records America)—243 9 86147-2

Availability:

Generally available

Ecto priority:

Recommended (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Highly recommended (Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE)

Group members:

Julia Fordham—vocals, backing vocals, guitar

Guest artists:

Arran Ahmun—drums
Miles Bould—percussion
Dave Cliff—guitar
Dave Green—double bass
Manu Katche—drums
Dominic Miller—guitar, keyboards, drum programming
Grant Mitchell—keyboards, piano
Pino Palladino—bass
Kate St. John—oboe
Alan Thompson—bass
Taj Wyzgowski—guitar

Produced by:

Hugh Pagham, Grant Mitchell, Kevin Maloney & Julia Fordham

Comments:

Astonishingly, Julia followed up Julia Fordham with an even stronger album. Lyrically, the songs cover similar territory to those recorded on her debut, but with more varied arrangements and a more assured vocal delivery. This was Jules really hitting her stride, making an album that remains fresh and exhilarating after several years of frequent listening. Again, there is not a single track that doesn't fully justify its place on the album. A remarkable achievement. The US release substitutes "Manhattan Skyline" for "China Blue" and "Prince of Peace". (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Julia sings with Happy Rhodes' deep voice. (Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE)

In my opinion Julia's best album. It's more consistent than her first, and more folky, overall. Check out Jules' guitar playing on "Lock and Key," the Brazilian sound of "Genius" (which actually features Julia singing a verse in Portuguese!), and the brutal honesty of "Towerblock" and "Island." The British pressing of the album includes two tracks that aren't on the US version; the better of those two, in my opinion, is "Prince of Peace." Just Julia's gorgeous voice, with a bass for backup. Sigh! (ishara@blarg.net)

Actually I'm listening to this as I type, and quite enjoying it so far...hmm, this song now is a bit bluesy for my tastes though...). I'm finding I can't really get into this album...tried listening to it late at night as suggested, and giving it all my attention, but somehow my mind just sort of slid off it. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems too bluesy and soft edged in general for my tastes. Especially that track with those gross shaky muted maraca-type instruments. I hate those! The rest is pretty neutral, despite her Lennox-y voice, which is very nice. Hmmm...perhaps I should really give it a few more listens before I make these kind of comments...but...too late! :) Well, likely I'll warm to it, but I don't think I'll be running out to buy more Fordham albums just yet :) (damon)

This is a rather jazzy torchy bluesey album (and it's an extremely wonderful jazzy torchy bluesey album too :) ) so it's possible that it won't be completely to your tastes; but if you're unsure, try playing it very late at night—it's a perfect late-night winding-down album! (in my opinion, naturally) (ectophil@netlink.co.nz)

Swept

Release info:

1991—Circa Records—UK: JULED 18; International: 777 7 86245-2

Availability:

Generally available

Ecto priority:

Low (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Group members:

Julia Fordham—vocals

Guest artists:

Andy Baron—drums
Miles Bould—percussion
Robbie Buchanan—keyboards
Richard Bull—programming
Martin McCarick—'cello
Valerie Carter—backing vocals
Vinnie Colaiuta—drums
Mike Fisher—percussion
Angie Giles—backing vocals
Graham Henderson—accordion
Manu Katche—drums
Larry Klein—bass
Dave Lewis—sax
Donal Lunny—bodhran, bouzouki
Kate Markowitz—backing vocals
Dominic Miller—guitars
Grant Mitchell—keyboards, programming
Pino Palladino—bass
Dean Parks—guitar
Dashiell Rae—backing vocals
David Rhodes—guitars
Frank Ricotti—vibraphone
David Sancious—keyboards
Alan Thompson—bass

Produced by:

Grant Mitchell, Hugh Padgham, Dominic Miller, Peter Asher, Graham Dickson and Julia Fordham

Comments:

Julia's third album was quite a let-down given the expectations engendered by her first two releases. The formula is much as before but, for whatever reason, things just don't seem to have come together on this one. The songs sound uninspired, the singing lacklustre. The album sounds tired and is tiring to listen to. The cover of the Tom Snow/Dean Pitchford song "(Love Moves) in Mysterious Ways" recorded for the movie "The Butcher's Wife" and included here was a minor hit but, overall, of all Julia's albums this is the only one to disappoint. For completists only. (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Get this album only if you are an absolutely besotted fan of Julia Fordham and have to have everything she's ever done! This is definitely not her best work. There are two or three tracks on it I love, but the album as a whole suffers from overproduction. A shame. :( (ishara@blarg.net)

Falling Forward

Release info:

1994—Circa Records—UK: CIRCD 28; International: 7243 8 39559 2 3

Availability:

Generally available

Ecto priority:

Very highly recommended (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Group members:

Julia Fordham—lead and backing vocals

Guest artists:

Alex Acuna—percussion
Stacey Campbell—backing vocals
Bobby Carlos—lap steel guitar
Gary Clark—backing vocals
Russell Ferrante—keyboards
Mark Isham—trumpet
Barry Kinder—drums, percussion
Larry Klein—bass, keyboards, percussion
David Lasley—backing vocals
Iki Levy—percussion
The L.A. Mass Choir—backing vocals
Michael Landau—guitar
Greg Leisz—pedal steel guitar, mandolin
Martin Loveday—'cello
Jean McClain—backing vocals
Arnold McCuller—backing vocals
Ed Mann—vibraphone, marimbas
Dominic Miller—guitars
Grant Mitchell—piano
Perry Montague-Mason—violin
Bill Payne—piano, organ
Brenda Russell—backing vocals
Vonda Shepard—backing vocals
Steuart Smith—guitars, mandolin
Philip Taylor—piano
Jorge Triviosonno—bandonon
Carlos Vega—drums
Katy Wilkinson—viola
Gavin Wright—violin

Produced by:

Larry Klein and Julia Fordham

Comments:

This album is quite the most excellent thing Julia has done! Having been so disappointed with Swept, I wasn't at all sure what to expect from this one. Fortunately for her loyal fans, Julia came up with a stunning return to form which for my money surpasses even the much-loved Porcelain. The lyrics are a little less straightforward, and hence more rewarding to repeated listening, than on the first two albums; the arrangements and production are more varied and more modern sounding. The blues influence remains, and there is still a jazzy tinge to much of the music, but it seems Julia is refining her own unique sound. Her gorgeous voice has recovered its strength and her handling of it seems more confident than ever. Immediately appealing, and of lasting fascination, this album confirms Julia's status as a major talent and deserves a place in the collection of any lover of quality modern music.
     Thank goodness for this album! After the disappointment of Swept I thought maybe Jules had shot her bolt with her classic Porcelain album, but here she is back on top form and singing her heart out with what must be one of the most impressive female voices around in the rock world. The sensitive production lets the songs (mostly about love gone wrong) and the vocal performances speak for themselves. Welcome back Jules! (nightwol@dircon.co.uk)

Almost as strong an album as Porcelain. The title track is similar in sound and feel to the songs on Porcelain, and Julia's voice is at its best ever on the gospel-flavored "River" and "Hope, Prayer and Time." For those of you who have a weakness for jazzy piano ballads, there are several on this album, including "Honeymoon." (ishara@blarg.net)

Last week I found this in a bargain counter and I like it very much. Maybe better than Porcelain and Swept. (Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE)

This one didn't appeal to me mainly because it had heavy production and appeared desperate for radio play. (LynnGarrett@aol.com)

East West

Release info:

1997—Virgin Records, U.S.—72438 44323 2 4

Availability:

Released in the U.S. August 12, 1997

Ecto priority:

Extremely recommended!

Group members:

Julia Fordham—vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards

Backing musicians:

Michael Brook—infinite guitar, keyboards, arrangements and programming
Lenny Castro—percussion
David Clifton—electric and acoustic guitars
James Fearnley—accordion
Mauricio Lewak—drums
Jason Lewis—percussion
Kevin McCormick—bass
Paul PJ Moore—keyboards
Judith Owen—piano
Martin Tillman—cello
Jeff Young—piano and keyboards

Produced by:

Michael Brook (who also produced Jane Siberry's excellent When I Was A Boy) and Julia Fordham

Comments:

She has finally gone and done it! With East West, Julia has surpassed even Porcelain, and with that, she's exceeded my highest and wildest expectations for the album. The arrangements are stripped down, to Julia's beautiful voice, a guitar, and little else; the songwriting, in my opinion, is more mature than on her previous albums. I would not be the least bit surprised if East West were Julia's breakthrough in the States! All the songs, of course, are lovely, but I've been putting "Killing Me Slowly" (NOT the Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly" song, by the way), the title track, "My Last Goodbye," and "Magic" on repeat.... "Magic"...yes, that song title says it all! (ishara@blarg.net)

I was a little disappointed in this album. I'd heard that it was being produced by Michael Brooker who's worked with Jane Siberry, and that he was stripping things down, which was a good sign, since Julia has suffered from over-production in the past. It also boded well for me, since it was going to be a "post-breakup" album, and I tend to love sad songs. However, Julia Fordham's earnest singing detracts from the emotion of many of the songs. She often sounds like she's working so hard to hit each note and sing beautifully that she forgets what the songs are all about. There are moments though that transcend this, and the emotion comes through as her voice cracks or whispers, but overall, this album doesn't quite live up to my expectations. (jjhanson@att.net)

"Our Little Goddess" strips away the layers of co-writers and session hacks, with a little help from Michael Brook, to reveal the goddess within. (beckwith@ime.net)

The Julia Fordham Collection

Release info:

1998—Virgin (Japan)—VJCP-25411; International—243 8 46315-2

Comments:

A 15-track 'best of' collection that will receiving a worldwide release in 1998-89.

Concrete Love

Release info:

2002—Vanguard Records—79719-2

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Julia Fordham—vocals, acoustic guitar

Guest artists:

Larry Klein—keyboards, basses, Hammond B-3 organ, guitar, electric guitar, drum programming
Billy Preston—Hammond B-3 organ, Wurlitzer, electric piano
Dean Parks—guitars, electric guitar
Mark Goldenberg—guitars
Iki Levy—drum programming
Helik Hadar—drum programming, darabuka
Jim Cox—Hammond B-3 organ
India.Arie—guest vocal on "Concrete Love"
Joe Henry—guest vocal on "Alleluia"
Sweet Pea Atkinson, Sir Harry Bowens, Willie Green, Angie Giles—backing vocals

Produced by:

Larry Klein

Comments:

I wouldn't call Julia Fordham jazz or blues, though her most recent album, Concrete Love, has a lot of r&b influence/flavor on it. It's mostly subtle, but it's a bit too much for me. Maybe not the individual tracks, but the mood of the first 3 songs becomes a little samey. Actually I think it's the choruses that I don't like quite so much. She has these r&b full choruses that kind of break up the song, similar to the use of gospel choruses on the Falling Forward album. The first track I really enjoy is the fourth, also the title track, which features India.Arie on vocals. Some of the following songs which are more straightforward pop/rock I enjoy a lot too. Julia's voice and singing can be very sensual, and this is, I think, the most sensual album she's made since Porcelain. This doesn't make her jazz or blues or r&b, but I think her music, at various times, uses some influences from all three. I was going to post about it, but wanted to listen to it more before commenting. So these are opinions based on 1 or 2 listens and are quite subject to change. In general, I think it's a pretty good album, and there are already some songs I really like. I think the rest of it will grow on me. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Julia Fordham is another "great voice" whose material has often not been as strong as her voice—this album doesn't really change that but its still an interesting release with a number of good songs. (jjhanson@att.net)

That's Life

Release info:

2004—Vanguard Records—79755-2

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Recommended

Group members:

Julia Fordham—vocals, background vocals

Guest artists:

Larry Klein—bass, keyboards
Dean Parks—guitars, baritone acoustic guitar
Billy Preston—Hammond organ
Jamie Muhoberac—Wurlitzer piano, fender rhodes piano, piano
Jeff Young—Hammond organ, background vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 8)
Vinnie Colaiuta—drums
Lee Thornburg—trumpet, valve trombone
Albert Wing—tenor sax
Greg Leisz—pedal steel guitar
Joey Waronker—drums, percussion
David Ricketts—string arrangement (3)
Billy Goodrum—interlude arrangement (5)

Produced by:

Larry Klein

Comments:

I would have loved to give That's Life a glowing review as I've adored Julia for years. Her output has been inconsistent, and unfortunately That's Life is somewhere in the middle to the bottom of the barrel. Her voice is as good as ever, but unfortunately the music is so sub-par, that her voice is not compelling enough to overcome it. I don't mind the songs being generally down-tempo; I mind the bland 70s style fake smooth jazz feel that most of them seem to have (partly due to too much Hammond organ). The few that don't, the few that are in her folk-pop vein ("Perfect Me", "Jump", "Downhill Sunday") are much better and shine here among the general dullness. But even they are really only better-than-average songs. The only really good song here is "Guilty", which was smartly placed last so as to salvage the album a bit.
     I saw Julia in concert recently (August 2004) where she performed mostly songs from this album, and it was wonderful. She had a guitarist with her and sang and played guitar herself on a few songs. The songs were much, much better in concert than the versions on the album. So I'd recommend catching her live if you can; she also tells lots of stories and is very funny. (JoAnn Whetsell)

That's Live

Release info:

2005—Vanguard Records—79782-2

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Julia Fordham—guitar, vocals

Guest artists:

Larry Klein—bass
Vinnie Colaiuta—drums
Dean Parks—guitar
Tim Carmon—Hammond organ, fender Rhodes, keyboards
Kevin McKeever—Wurlitzer, fender Rhodes, keyboards
Mark Isham—trumpet
Mauricio Lewack—additional percussion
Amy Keys—additional vocals
Judith Owen—additional guest vocal on "Happy Ever After"
India.Arie—guest vocal on "Concrete Love"

Produced by:

Larry Klein

Comments:

I didn't care for Julia's last album, That's Life, but I absolutely love That's Live. Why? It's just a really good live album. The song selection is great. Half the tracks come from Porcelain and Concrete Love, her two best albums in my opinion. The rest are pulled about equally from her other albums. The songs don't differ markedly from their recorded versions, but they have a different vibe, those slight changes in tempo, harmonization, and instrumentation that make songs fresh in live performance. Mark Isham adds just the right amount of flourishes on trumpet. Amy Keys' rich alto voice and soul-style delivery blends beautifully with Julia's; just having a different voice on background vocals gives the songs a different feel. The band is tight, and some of the best moments are when they just get to jam as they do at the end of "Wake Up With You" and "Stay." The lack of banter means you don't get a sense of Julia's personality (she's very funny), but it's probably better for repeated listening. Highly recommended. Also available on DVD. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Baby Love EP

Release info:

2007

Availability:

See Julia Fordham's site

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Comments:

Although this album was made for Julia's baby daughter, you don't need to be a parent to enjoy this collection. The best tunes are the 2 jazz tracks: "I Want to Stay Home With You" (which reappears on China Blue) and "Spoon." The other songs are laidback and sweet without being syrupy. (JoAnn Whetsell

China Blue

Release info:

2008—Little Boo Records—7 9687302358 0

Availability:

NovaTunes, or see Julia Fordham's site

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Julia Fordham—all vocals

Guest artists:

Miles Bould—drums
Simon Edwards—bass
Stelios Kalisperides—guitar
Grant Mitchell—piano, bass, drums, strings and horns arrangements
John Ferraro—drums (3)
Trey Henry—bass (3)
Mark Goldenberg—guitar (3)
Bob Sheppard—sax (3)
Jon Gilutin—keyboards, programming, percussion (3)
Michael McDonald—background vocals (3)
Adam Drake—guitar (4)
Luke Tunney—trumpet (4)
Chris Garrick—violin (8, 10)

Produced by:

Grant Mitchell; track 3 produced by Jon Gilutin & Simon Climie

Comments:

Julia's always had jazz influences in her music, but China Blue puts them on prominent display. It's a good sound for her, and I'm not a big jazz vocal fan (though I am a longtime Julia fan). Overall I think the up-tempo songs are stronger, though "Holiday," a slower number, is one of the best songs on the album. The Michael McDonald cover/collaboration "I Keep Forgettin'" and re-recording of "For You Only for You" are also nice additions and smooth out the sound as they're a little lighter jazz style. (JoAnn Whetsell

Further info:

Julia Fordham Information Service: c/o 47 Bedford Street, Leamington Spa CV32 5BR, U.K. This address was correct as of August 1995, but no word has come out of there since February 1995. The service was only available to U.K. residents.

That's Live is also available on DVD.

Julia Fordham contributes to various compilations, including Winter, Fire, and Snow.

Thanks to Steve Fagg, JoAnn Whetsell, and Marisa Wood for work on this entry, and to Jørgen Thoresen for updated information.