Marc Almond had suggested that his 2010 album, Varieté, would be the last recording to feature his own original material.
However, English producer and songwriter Chris Braide persuaded the singer to change his mind by sending him a trio of tracks written especially for the singer.
Los Angeles based Braide - who has worked with Lana Del Ray, Beyoncé, Britney and David Guetta – convinced the former Soft Cell front-man to write songs again for public consumption.
“It was such an absurd idea to think there would be no more new Marc Almond original songs. This is the man who wrote Say Hello Wave Goodbye and we need more of those passionate, unique and original songs,“ says Braide. “Just like Bowie and Bolan before him, he's a true original.”
“I felt the songwriting muse had left me, possibly forever," Marc explained. “Then an email arrived with three instrumental tracks. I got goose bumps. I was blown away. Chris had an understanding of the chord changes I adored, of the sounds I loved; songs in minor keys with big dark dramatic pianos and strings. I sat down to write, both excited and inspired.
“Three songs were written in a matter of days. Minotaur, a dramatic song about rage and animal passions, Scar a torch song about deception and Winter Sun, a melancholic reflective song about fading love”. The singer also explains on his website that he didn't have to labour over the lyrics.
To keep a certain chemistry intact, Almond and Braide decided not to speak on the phone until the record was complete. Only then did they meet (at London's Delauney, with a pot of tea, as it happens.)
The Velvet Trail will be released through Cherry Red Records on March 9.
