Music Interview: Dee C Lee

Dee C Lee is back with her first new music in 25 years.

Just Something, which is released on the iconic Acid Jazz label, is an album full of mostly upbeat and positive tracks from the British soul singer and songwriter, who has worked with acts including Wham!, The Style Council and Jamiroquai, and had a solo hit in 1985 with ‘See The Day’, later covered by Girls Aloud.

Opener, ‘Back In Time’, is a big and brassy, reflective disco-soul anthem that celebrates the power of music and the 7-inch single; ‘Walk Away’, which was co-written with ex-Style Council member, Mick Talbot, who plays keys on it, is Motown-style pop, and first single, ‘Don’t Forget About Love’ is summery and jazzy with flute, horns and organ, and a smidgen of The Style’s Council sophisticated sound.

But every so often there’s a touch of darkness to the lyrics – the moody and mellow ‘Mountains’ is a melancholy breakup song, while ‘Trojan’ sets an angry revenge lyric to a floaty jazz backing. 

hi-fi+ spoke to Lee, who was married to Paul Weller from 1987 to 1998 – their daughter, Leah (who we interviewed in issue 214)has co-written a song on Just Something – about the record and why it was the right time for her to relaunch her career. 

“I’ve got an excitement and a hunger for making music right now,” she tells us.

SH: After 25 years, you’re making music again. Why did you take a break from the industry?

DL: I made music for a very long time – I started early, when I was a young girl. I turned professional around 18 / 19.

All I’d ever done was make music and tour. I never had any love – I wanted to fall in love and have a family. So, when that started to happen, I was happy to take time out and just enjoy what it was like being a mum.

As it turns out, I was a bit rubbish – I’m lucky my kids are still standing – but it was worth doing.

Sometimes after coming away from something and then going back into it, the love is real – I think you can tell that in the music. The love is real for what I’m doing. I’ve got an excitement and a hunger for making music right now, so we’ll see how it goes.

The reception for what I’ve been doing has been great – I hope it keeps growing because that will help me to keep making music.

In 2020, Sky Arts made a documentary called Long Hot Summers – The Story of the Style Council, in which you reunited with band members Paul Weller, Mick Talbot and Steve White to perform a version of ‘It’s A Very Deep Sea.’ How was that?

It was lovely being with the boys again – we just looked at each other and clicked and made it happen, and it did trigger a vibe for performing again – I had been thinking about it for a little while.

Out of all the bands I’ve worked with, I really enjoyed The Style Council – not only did I grow musically from being in that environment, but I also got friends and brothers for life. There’s nothing I regret about it whatsoever – it was a great time. 

So, the Style Council documentary made you decide to make music again?

Because of the documentary, I bumped into my old mucker, Eddie Piller [Acid Jazz founder / MD] again, who I adore.

He asked me if I’d make another record and I said I would but that there was nobody knocking at the door, and I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t want to put music out by myself again – it’s far too hard and I haven’t got that kind of energy.

He said: ‘Let’s do something about that – do you want to work with us?’ 

I jumped on that, and we made it happen quite quickly – the love and support that Acid Jazz has shown me has really helped. They have talented in-house musicians and production – it’s all good and it was like coming home. 

It’s been even more pleasurable to make music – I’m with a record company that knows what they’re talking about and enjoys music. If they give you criticism, it’s constructive and not just mean.

I guess you get a lot of freedom and at this stage in your career, you haven’t got anything to prove – you’ve been there and done it…

Exactly. On a major label, unless you’re Beyoncé or Jay-Z, I don’t think you have much of a say in anything if you want that gig – you have to do what you’re told.

There are people out there who do that and that’s fine…

I make my living from music and I love music… I couldn’t be involved with tracks that I feel have been massacred.

In autumn last year, you released the first tracks from the album – the double A-side single, ‘Don’t Forget About Love’ / ‘Be There In The Morning’…

‘Don’t Forget About Love’ was one of the fresher tracks I wrote for the album – I wrote it to order because I wanted to have something really upbeat. I got sent the backing track and there you go…

It has a summery, jazzy feel…

Yeah – I like to think that, as much as possible, everything about me should say ‘summer’ – I was born in the summer, and I love the sun. I’m a summer person and when I’m not in the sun I hope to bring it wherever I go. 

Even when I write about things that are slightly darker, I like to counteract it with a light backing track. 

The lyrics on ‘Trojan’ are vicious – you sound like you’re out for revenge on someone. Whoever they are, I pity them… 

(Laughs). The production is all bright and light, but underneath I’m literally threatening someone. The lyrics say it all – that song is about a friend gone wrong.

One of my favourite songs on the album is ‘Mountains’, which is a moody and melancholy track – it’s very atmospheric…

Thank you for saying that – it’s one of my favourites too. The only good thing about all these extra years that keep being added on – not to my pleasure, I can tell you – is that I’m growing with my own music. 

I’m particularly proud of ‘Mountains’ because it’s about a heartbroken woman and some of the things that one goes through when a relationship breaks up. I think it says it all – when you’re so consumed by sadness, you can lose your mind. That’s what I was thinking about – it’s kind of deep. 

The world is going through a dark time – you wanted to make an album that was upbeat and positive, didn’t you?

Yeah – I’m hoping it’s good for the soul because the soul doesn’t get fed enough these days. These are seriously such freaking dark times – it will stop one of these days, but, in the meantime, just hanging on to your sanity and your soul is hard. Music helps me, that’s for sure.

Had you been writing much music during your time off from the industry?

Not really, but there were a couple of old school tracks hanging around that are on the album – one is ‘Mountains’ and the other is ‘For Once In My Life’, which I wrote quite a few years ago. I went to New York on a writing trip and hung out with some writers and producers. I was young – I’d just left CBS Records and I was very angry with them. That song was about taking control – people were annoyed with me every time I tried to step up. 

I write with different people, and I like to get different things out of my voice – I think I have quite a distinctive voice, but I don’t want to be too samey. It’s interesting and important for me to move around and work with different writers – it always brings something a little fresher out of yourself.

You wrote ‘Anything’ with Paul Barry, who’s worked with James Bay and James Morrison. That track has a slightly more contemporary pop feel than some of the others…

He’s definitely got that vibe. That’s what I mean about working with different writers. I like to see what it pulls out of me. I love that song – it’s very uplifting. 

One of the songs on the album, ‘Walk Away’, was written by yourself and former Style Council member and keyboard player, Mick Talbot, who also plays on some tracks. It’s got a real Motown feel… 

That’s right – I can’t believe how Motown we went on that, but it felt good. Mick works with a lot of the Acid Jazz guys. Him and Steve [White] are like my brothers – they’re family.

You’ve written three songs on the album with Michael McEvoy and Ernest McKone, who you first worked with in the ‘80s…

They’re my go-to guys – when I started the album, I said: ‘Boys, right – I need some tracks.’ One of the songs they played me was ‘Don’t Forget About Love’ – they just know me – and straight away I was like, ‘Oh, yeah – that’s beautiful.’ 

There’s a little Style Council in there – it’s a bit like ‘If You Ever Had It Blue’, which wasn’t deliberate, but it just comes from loving the same kind of music. We’re very much part of that scene – the same musicians… 

‘Back In Time’, which opens the album and was co-written by you, McEvoy and McKone, has a disco-soul feel. Lyrically, it’s a celebration of the power of music. It reflects on your younger years, when you were listening to vinyl and going out dancing…

Yeah – exactly. I’m glad that you can see where I’m coming from. It’s about missing the days of being able to dance. My God, if I start dancing now, I’ll put something out – I have to be careful, and I’ve got grown-up kids who still roll their eyes at me whenever I try and get on the dance floor. 

The song is a reminder of being young and of how important music was in those days. 

And your daughter, Leah Weller, has co-written a song on the record: ‘Everyday Summer…’

My darling daughter is a prolific and fabulous songwriter – she takes after her dad, I think. She’s got a baby, but she writes a lot more than me. 

I heard ‘Everyday Summer’ when she was writing it and it stuck in my head – the melody and the way she sang it. I had an idea about how I would sing it and she said, ‘Oh, mum – I don’t know what to do with it. You have it.’

What music did you listen to growing up? Was it mostly soul?

I started off as a typical teenager and I was really into Marc Bolan and Mott The Hoople – I loved the song ‘Roll Away The Stone.’

I liked Labi Siffre and Joan Armatrading – I was listening to people like that because they were in the charts.

In the early ’70s, I started going to youth clubs and heard disco sounds – I was there, giving it all with the look, and listening to tunes that have now become part of my make-up. 

After that, I stopped listening to what was in the charts – I went to a club and started listening to Donald Byrd, Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers.

I used to style my voice on the female vocals you hear on early Donald Byrd tracks like ‘Wind Parade’ – all very floaty and atmospheric. The vocals were almost used like instruments. 

After that, I started listening to Chaka Khan and Rufus, and Diana Ross in her jazz days, like Lady Sings The Blues.

There was a lot of class about her singing and delivery, which I really liked. 

You ended up working with Donald Byrd, Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers…

Yeah – that was the icing on the cake. I’ve done everything I needed to do in my career – I’m done! (Laughs). I’m not done, there’s still more to come. 

Dee C Lee’s new album, Just Something, is out now on Acid Jazz Records.

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