I thought it would be good to have a topic where we can put questions to the guys direct - who knows, if they happen to pop by and have time, we may be able to get an answer too

So I have a question, well ok, a few questions about the new album.   

How do you decide which songs will go on the new album?

When it comes to recording, do you go into the studio separately to record each of your parts, or are they recorded together with the orchestra?

How do you decide who sings which part of the song - or is that decision down to your musical director?

I hope this isn't being too nosey but I'm just curious about how an album gets put together.  

hi guys, I'm doing an interview with Blake in September for my BBC and Local Radio specials at Christmas!

 Please send questions via my website at www.celebrityradio.co.uk

 Cheers

 Alex

Hello Stephen, Ollie, Dom and Jules,

I have some questions for you here, would you please answer them   ?

- Though it is still 4 years ahead......If you are chosen to perfom at either the opening or closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics [or maybe both, that would be very lovely], what kind of songs would you choose ?

- Do you plan to write some songs of your own for your next album after 'And So It Goes' ?

- Beside regular practice...........How do you keep your voice well? Some singers prefer not to eat this and that....not to drink this and that.......What about you ?

- This is rather personal [ You have put much personal information in Facebook, but not this one ]........What is your favourite food ?

Thank you for reading and answering my questions.

 Hello Lizzie,

              well, I'm here on the forum and happy to answer questions, so lets have as look at yours :) I'll do them in the order to asked....

              Deciding for songs on the second album was very much left to the four singers and our producer (Stephen Lipson - who previously produced albums for Elton John, Annie Lenox, Will Young, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston) - we all put forward songs that we both liked and felt would work well in 4 part harmony. Each singer had long lists to put forward, whilst our producer advised on which would work best in the studio. After around 6 weeks of going back and forth to the producer, and each other, we finally rested on the 12 songs which you see on "And So It Goes".

              On the first album, we recorded every single line as a separate part, then stitched them all together in the studio. For the second album, our producer wanted much more of our natural sound when singing as a group, so 4 top end microphones were placed in his studio, so that each singer could see at least one other singer. Everyone was on headphones, and songs were recorded together. When recording a part at a time, you have massive control over the individual sound of each singer, but the stitched together version, can sometimes sound too "clean". When recording the 4 guys together, there is often the issue that if one person gets something wrong, you have to start over again, but the final sound has more presence, which is what gives the second album its new feel. We love the first album too, but it was interesting to try a new approach to recording harmonies.

               We don't record with the orchestra - they are always recorded in specialist studios like Abbey Road, Air Studios or British Grange, to name a few we've used. Recording an orchestra has its own problems and challenges, believe me, you wouldn't want to add singers into the mix too :)

               When deciding who sings what within a song, there are many factors involved. Although we are all classed as Baritones, we actually have very different voices which work in a unique way to create our blend. When singing classically, Ollie tends to sing in the upper Baritone register (up to top A's on many songs) Jules and Dom sing the middle register (generally up to a top F) and myself in the lower register (top D or Eb at most, going down to bottom F's when my voice is working properly) . When singing in a pop style, our individual vocal ranges change again. My back ground prior to Blake included singing Blues and Jazz a great deal, so I've got a few vocal tricks that give me a wide range in those music styles, which strangely came in very useful on tracks like Chasing Cars. In general though, when picking a voice for a part, its about range and comfort. We sing all of our album material live, so there is no point us cheating in the studio :) Solo sections in songs are chosen based on who's got the right voice for the style of song, who's got the right balance of range & approach, and who's got the right feel for that song. We all sang the solos on all the songs in the studio whilst putting the album together, then our producer picked the voices he felt were best for each song. We always try to remember that the quality of the song has to come first, and our own opinions of our voices second. A good producer will always help ease that process along.

              Hope that answers your questions a little, feel free to ask others. I'll try my best to return here and answer them when we've got free time :)

              Stephen.

 Hello Miss Anne,

             likewise, I'll answer your questions as best I can, and in the order you put them in :)

             - Blake would be hugely honoured to sing in any capacity during the Olympics of 2012, and we certainly intend to be together at that time. As to what we would sing, thats a tough question. From the 2 albums so far, I would say something like 1492 Conquest of Paradise would be amazing to sing at the opening of the games, and our version is already perfect for this - who knows, it may happen, fingers crossed everyone.

             - On the subject of song writing, we certainly hope to include some of our own on the third album. We already get very involved in the arrangements and vocal settings that we use for our songs, but writing our own material would be the next step. I've been a song writer for the last 10 years now, and have a catalog of my own songs which I'd love to expand into real Blake anthems, but I'll need to brush them up a little first. 

             - The most important thing for a singing voice, is sleep. If I don't get at least 6 hours, I can feel that my voice is tired the next day. Its also important to drink lots of water throughout the day (3 litres or more is a good aim). We always warm up the voices prior to singing on tv or in the studio. Different voices require different types of warm up, and different singing teachers advise different approaches. In general however, we try to ensure that all the parts of the singing range are ready to go, so that we don't push the voice too hard without it being ready. If your voice is tired, and we still have to sing, we often use little sucking sweets called Vocalzone's which numb the throat for a while, getting you through a short concert. We also have ginger and honey tea with us for concerts, as this is also good for soothing the throat, giving you confidence to sing through.

             - As for favourite foods - personally I used to eat a lot of junk food, but hitting my mid twenties, I suddenly found that fatty foods quickly take their toll on your health. I am a massive fan of sushi. I love humous and carrots (better than crisps). I eat brown pita bread with lots of vegitable soups. I tend to drink soya milk rather than cows milk, as its better for you I think :) I don't tend to eat cheese or milk products before performing, as they can leave the voice feeling a little bit choked up. I also avoid very acidic fruit juices prior to performances for the same reason.

               Hope that answers your questions - look forward to coming on here again soon, 

               Big hugs to everyone,

               Stephen.

Hey Stephen,

Thank you for coming to the forum and answer my questions .

I am sure everyone of us here do wish Blake would perform at the opening [and also closing] ceremony of the 2012 Olympics games. The song 1492 Conquest of Paradise is a good choice. I like the song much.

Waiting for your own written songs in the third album, okay ?

Anne

Thank you Stephen for coming on and answering questions

I have a quick one and staying on the same track of songwriting....

If you could take the credit for writing one song thats ever been released, what would it be and why?

I never expected to get such a detailed answer to my question, Thank you so much Stephen

I was really interested to read what you said about the recording process, I didn't realise what a long and complicated process it could be, although what you said about recording each voice separately makes sense, especially if parts need to be re-done. From the clips I have heard of the new songs, the new recording process sounds good too and it will be interesting to hear the rest of the songs.

I didn't realise that you had a background in Jazz and Blues (I've learnt something new today!) Did you ever record anything prior to joining Blake? I was also interested in the answers to Miss Anne's questions (good questions Anne) and I hope that you will use songs that you have written in future Blake albums.You are all such talented guys and I think it would be wonderful to show off your talents to the rest of the world.

Thanks again for providing us with an insight into what goes on behing the scenes and the process of getting the album onto the shelves of recordstores. It's little bits of information like this that make the album more special. I can't wait to be the proud owner of your latest work and I look forward to all your future ventures.

I really hope you do get to sing at the Opening Ceremony for 2012 - you are already great ambassadors for the war widows association and I think you would be the perfect choice to represent Great Britain and bring a touch of class to the event.

I have a few of random questions:

So, your are tourning next March, do you know the dates yet?

If you we're to get up and sing karaoke what songs would you pick?

Neopolitan icecream, which flavour do you like best are do you like all 3 in one go?

Is the glass half empty or half full? lol

And

Your favourite female celebrity crushes?

 Hey there, I'll try and do two sets of questions in one go this time - do realise that I may lack the time to respond so quickly once things get fully underway with promoting the second album :) I'll always do my best though ;)

Which song would I most liked to have written? Hmm, I'd probably have to go for Life on Mars by David Bowie - it is an absolute masterpiece of writing.

We are indeed touring through next March - there will be 12-15 dates in total and they will be spread accross the UK - final details are still to come.

Haha, Karaoke is a favourite past time of mine, and I'm not too proud to make a fool of myself :) The best song I can peform is "Let's Dance" by David Bowie, which I've had entire bars shouting encores for ;) I also do a nice version of "Kissing You" by Desrai (featured on Romeo and Juliet), but I normally play that on the piano and sing at the same time. Remember, I had quite a bit of time singing in bars, so you've got to have a few tunes you know well :)

Neopolitan Icecream eh? Well, about 3 years ago I joined an old friend on a boat trip from Malta to Capri. On the way we stopped off in Sicily (the port of Taormina to be exact) where, just off the exit from the marina, was the most wonderful icecream parlour I've ever found. I remember asking for three flavours, Pistaccio, Raspberry and Dulce de Leche - the most perfect combination ever, and a beautiful place to enjoy it. Very fond memories there.

You should know that with me, the glass is always half full - I'm the eternal optimist, even in the most difficult of times - it helps us through anything :)

Celebrity crushes, well, I'm not sure what I should say, but I have to be honest, I've always rather fancied Franka Potente - she's a german actress who's been in films like Run Lola Run, Creep and The Bourne Identity. I love world cinema and alot of my crushes tend to involve actresses from those films. Oh yes, and I've always thought Emma Thompson an extremely beautiful woman, along with Natascha McElhone, who is a godess :)

Hope that lot doesn't find itself into some random interview, I'll probably forget what I wrote :)

Take care and see you soon,

 Stephen.xx

 Hi

Yet more questions to be asked

WHO IS THE NOISEST IN BLAKE/ WHO IS THE QUIET ONE?

WHO IS THE TIDIEST WHO THE UNTIDY ONE?

WHO IS THE SHYEST ONE ?

IF YOU COULD PERFORM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD IT BE ?

Regards

Jenny 

Hi Stephen,

I do enjoy reading your answers and I am sure all the forum members. We get to know you more and learn new things [like what Lizzie said] 

You mentioned your days playing the piano and singing in bars. Could you share with us your experiences when doing them ? The unforgetable, the funniest, the most disappointed, the happiest or maybe the most embarrasing momments

Members...Wouldn't it be very lovely if Dom, Ollie and Jules join here ? Keep on hoping

Anne.xxx

Just wanted to say thanks Stephen for replying my questions

All your talk of Dulce de Leche I want to go the the supermarket and buy a tub courtesy of Mr Hagan Daz but call me girlie but don't think my waist would agree lol

And with Natascha McElhone I take it you've seen every episode of Californiacation then? I have never seen that show i am more of a CSI person Which asks if you could go on a TV show which one would it be?

I also which the others too would come on here and say something...anything!

 Well, the noisest in the group is Ollie - as he can't do anything without a loud flourish of activity and sound, where as Dom is very quiet and thoughtful :)

Untidy and Tidy??? Hmmm, I think we're actually pretty tidy boys most of the time, although its interesting to see who can make their clothes spread furthest around a hotel room after just one night. Believe me, by the end of the Japan tour, I didn't have one thing that wasn't totally creased!

 I think I'm probably the most shy socially, but like all the Blake boys, once we are up on stage, I just love performing and enjoy big audiences. Personally I'm a lot more comfortable in front of TV cameras or big crowds, than I am when faced with a single person I don't know at a party.

My favourite place we've performed at is most certainly the Albert Hall, as it feels so grand and inspiring. If I could sing anywhere, it would inside the Rock of Gibraltar - I visited there about 5 years ago whilst boating, and went inside the middle of the Rock, which houses a beautiful concert hall created from a natural formation that's slowly been created over millions of years. I sang a few notes and the accoustic is beautiful, its a stunning venue. The Beatles actually played there, and over the years it has been used by many famous singers and orchestras. One for the future :)

 Hopefully some of the other singers come on here at some point, but in truth, I'm probably the internet junkie of the group, so I'm more often online :)

 If we could one day be on any show, it would have to be something like Oprah, but we are a looooong way away from the USA yet!!

 I had a lot of fun experiences singing and playing in bars. I did work in Bristol, London, Marbella, Nice and Malta at various times over the last ten years, depending on which friends were able to help me out with accomodation etc. For alot of my bar work I mainly sang covers of songs by Elton John, Bowie, etc, but I also wrote alot of my own songs, which I'd drop into sets as and when the opportunity arose. Sadly I never learnt to read piano music properly, so at about age 13 or so, I decided to learn to play by ear, which is a massive help when playing lots of covers, and for writing your own songs too. There was one very strange evening, where I was singing in a hotel bar in Marbella, when two guys came up to the piano whilst I was performing "Always on my mind" - after a few seconds I suddenly realised that it was the Pet Shop Boys, who had once covered the song on one of their albums. I've always been a massive fan of their music, so it was an honour to get a compliment from them that evening. Another time, I was playing at a friends birthday party with a small jazz trio in Guildford, when Lional Blair came and joined me on the microphone for a couple of numbers - he's a total star and great fun, one of the true all round performers, although his dancing is certainly that little bit better than his singing ;) As for the most embarrassing thing to ever happen whilst performing. I had been asked to perform "Let it be" as part of a large festival of music in 2000, during which an orchestra, band and choir where going to be singing. I had rehearsed the song a million times before, and on the evening of the show had been asked if it would be ok to rise up out of the stage on a raised platform. It sounded like fun, so, dressed in a sequined suit (no, there are thankfully no photos around of this) I got ready for the song to start. With all the orchestra, choir and band in full swing, the platform began to rise, but it was at that exact moment, that my radio microphone died - as the platform was raised, all the audience could see was me, mouthing the words of let it be, whilst they could hear nothing. It wasn't until after the show that the stage manager explained that the microphone hadn't worked. With all the huge onstage noise, I hadn't been able to tell. If ever you need an example of why you should always have onstage monitor speakers, thats it! :)

Take care,

Stephen.