Charlotte Sounds

Rip It Up, Issue 171, 1 October 1991, Page 12

Charlotte Sounds

Charlotte Yates is a Wellington based singer, songwriter, performer who has just released a solo album called Queen Charlotte Sounds. On (and for) the record, she calls herself Charlotte Sometimes, which alludes to the fact that at any one time she has a number of musical irons in the ’ . fire. ■ ' ; For example, she's about to go on tour with a revue called Babes In - ' The Mood "a high speed trip through musicals, comedy, dance and split personalities encompassing everything from Russian chants and pumping dance floor hits to Rodgers and Hammerstein." The other four "babes" are Jackie Clarke, Robin Nathan, Janet "Six Volts" Roddick and actress and writer (author of Marching Girls) Fiona Samuel. On the press kit the girls have very ' wittily superimposed their heads on repeated images of that crotch grabbing shot of Madonna from the cover of Interview magazine. Afficionados of the zanier side of the Wellington music scene will note that both Charlotte and Jackie are also members of When The Cat's Been Spayed. These are the sort of multi-talented women Charlotte likes - to "hoon around with" when she's not writing songs for herself, or other people. "As a writer it's bloody interesting to try to write technically for somebody, to write less introspective things, because it has to be relevant for the singer." Thus she's written for Jackie Clarke in Putty, and recently a song for the Holidaymakers' singer. Ms. Sometimes was in fact a vet by profession before she gave up financial security for the life of a musician. During her years on the rural beat she gained insights into how the less well-equipped live, ■ . hence the political consciousness evident in some of the songs on Queen Charlotte Sounds, for example, 'Better Than Any'. • : However, she does bristle at the

instant categorisation of being / labelled a "feminist singer songwriter" ("That's about the most boring way you could describe me"). "I'm really struck by people that are caught by situations of economic deprivation, but I'm not a missionary. I worked as a vet in an area where unemployment was from 10 to 20 per cent, which had a major impact on the women. When you're talking •; about a female singer/songwriter, • I've got an angle on things, I have a range of musical/cultural beliefs which are reflected in my lyrics. The idea of women being trapped by economic circumstances freaks me out, you have to rationalise it." • ■ Charlotte describes her current high musical profile as a "big fat surprise". She says she learnt piano and clarinet at school but was more exposed to Anglican church singing and jazz than pop music. Somewhere along the line she . '■ learnt how to play guitar and

keyboards as well (as can be heard on Queen Charlotte Sounds but the academically gifted girl was set on being a vet. Songwriting was just a hobby, until one day something clicked, now she's one of those people who can actually write proper songs. Martin Phillips, Dianne Swann and Dave Dobbyn are peers she admires; Van Morrison, Paul Kelly and REM are among the artists she listens to, and she also enjoys rap and dance music. There's no doubt, she's a singularly talented and highly intelligent individual, so much so one wishes she'd put some of her thoughts to paper as well as song... Charlotte Yates has a lot to say. DONNA YUZWALK