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Soulful British singer James Morrison comes to the Granada on Thursday with a stage show that he says might surprise his die-hard fans. “I’ve always loved that sound — whether it’s Bob Dylan or whatever — that classic band sound,” Morrison told us in a phone chat. “Just a good, ballsy sound. I’ve got some of the best players in England — top of their game. It will surprise people how rocked-up it is.”
Q: You were born in 1984. What music from the late ’80s and early ’90s made an impression on you as a kid?
Morrison: Man, to be honest, I did listen to a lot of radio, but it was crap.
It didn’t do anything for me. It didn’t! Most of it just didn’t sound that great.
I grew up on my mom and dad’s music — Van Morrison and the old soul stuff. Just really good singer-songwriters, good tunes, good voices. And every time I’d listen to the radio, it was late-’80s, early-’90s crap.
Q: You weren’t a grunge fan?
Morrison: I used to love Nirvana and still do. My mom used to play Nevermind. As a kid it was way too heavy for me, but when I grew up I [expletive] loved it.
Q: Did you start singing along to your parents’ music pretty early on?
Morrison: Yeah, all the time. I used to sing along, but I was never conscious of wanting to be a singer. I just enjoyed it. When I was a kid, my sister used to be like, “you need to sing more,” because I would try to speak the words too much and not sing them. But by the time I was 13, I was into singing for real.
Q: Do you think kids in Britain appreciate old soul more than in America?
Morrison: Well, there’s a new soul thing, with Winehouse and all. In England, young kids didn’t embrace it until recently. When I was in school, nobody even knew who Stevie Wonder was. It was this hardcore Helter Skelter and all that [expletive]. I used to be embarrassed to talk about the music I liked, because no one agreed with me. In America, it’s part of the culture, and there are more radio stations that play more varied stuff over there.
Q: Did you surprise critics with your voice when you got started?
Morrison: I remember having some reviews ages ago, like, “Before he came on, we thought he’d be some singer-songwriter feeling sorry for himself.” And then when I came on stage and started singing they were like, “Ah, OK.”
Q: What about American audiences took getting used to when you started playing here?
Morrison: I guess I wasn’t prepared the first time I came over for how enthusiastic the crowds would be. In England, I’m used to people taking longer to get into it. And in England people are a lot more cynical, I think. They are constantly questioning what they are hearing and why they should like it. In America, it was weird doing a real lowdown intimate song and people being like, “Yeah!”
Q: You worked with Nelly Furtado on your latest album. It seems a weird pairing at first — what gave you the idea?
Morrison: That was kind of the reason why I did it. We’re so far apart. But she’s one of those people who is quite versatile. Every album’s different.
Q: Who are some artists you’d like to work with in the future?
Morrison: There’s a singer called Daniel Merriweather who’s phenomenal. I love Amy Winehouse’s voice. I’ve actually met her a couple of times and I don’t think she’s that pumped about me. [Laughs.]
Q: What’s your current nonmusical obsession?
Morrison: I love YouTube. You can check out anything, whether it’s old footage of Donny Hathaway or comedy sketches. I just think it’s good for that. Apart from that, I’m a family man. A lot of time is taken up with my daughter and girlfriend when I’m at home.
Q: Have you checked out any ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ clips?
Morrison: I’ve seen some of it. Some of it’s so bad. People get the stories more than the music — they like to watch the journey of someone who goes through hardships to get where they are. But I think it’s the wrong way to get people out there. It’s more interesting to get to know the music and then slowly find out about the artist.
Q: So, how would you describe your journey?
Morrison: It is literally rags to riches. I was brought up poor, my dad was an alcoholic, my mum was manic-depressive. So I had a rough start, but it made me who I am. And it made me aspire to do what I want to do and just get on with it. I do music for the right reasons, because it makes me feel good.
