Via Couriermail.com.au

MORE than a few cynics would agree that Australian Idol can suck the soul right out of you.
But when Guy Sebastian – who was the first to take the title back in 2003 – speaks of losing his soul during the process, he's not talking about an existential crisis.

With Sebastian, it's more a style thing. He grew up singing soul.

He always dreamt of earning a living singing soul, but somewhere along the process of competing in Idol he lost his soul.

"You come through Idol and you sing every genre," he explains.

"Then you have people saying, 'I loved it when you sang Farnham . . . or that rock song . . . or Beyonce'. And you come out of it and you're like, well what should I do for my fan base?

"Suddenly I was propelled into this thing where I had voices nonstop – family, friends, professionals, record company, management – everyone telling me stuff like, 'You can't do that music' or 'That doesn't sell here' or 'Radio won't play that', or 'You should go rockier, or 'Listen to what they're playing, you should take a leaf out of their book'.

"I had to fuse what I love with something else."

After three albums of originals spanning pop and R&B, Sebastian says recording his new CD – a collection of soul standards called The Memphis Album – triggered an epiphany.

"The whole experience reiterated to me that: Guy, you're a soul singer. That's what you do, that's what you do best.

"And I don't care if people don't get it."

His next album is going to be an album of original soul songs. And possibly the one after that, too.

Sebastian isn't just talking it up to sell an album, he genuinely seems like a man who's found his groove again. But then again, who wouldn't given the circumstances. He was, after all, recording with a backing band of soul luminaries including founding member of Booker-T and the MGs, Steve Cropper. Cropper co-wrote (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay, In the Midnight Hour and Knock on Wood, all of which are on Sebastian's new album.

The collaboration went ahead only after Cropper – who has worked with the likes of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett – had heard tapes of Sebastian singing live.

Once he did it was all systems go with the Idol winner flying to Memphis to record in August.

"It was a time for me to, I guess, see Memphis at it's craziest," Sebastian says, explaining he had to share the town with thousands who had flocked there for the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death on August 16.

Although he was initially intimidated, Sebastian says a few sly nods of approval from his heroes sent him soaring into new territory.

"The first song was In the Midnight Hour and as soon as I started a couple of lines, they all kind of looked up (from their instruments) and were like, 'Yeah, come on'. It was kind of their nod of approval and from then on my voice just went through the roof.

"I've never sung like that before. It just kind of gave me this stir of confidence, it was just unreal. It took me back to how I used to sing."

The way Sebastian describes it, the recording process was life-changing.

After leaving Memphis he found himself at an open mic night in a famous club in New York and did something he thought he'd never do. He got up and sang.

"I was always too scared to sing, because you're talking Beyonce's singers, all the best musos at this bar. But after Memphis I just got up and I was doing stuff I didn't even know I could do. Everyone got up and they were throwing like $20 bills. It was unbelievable."

After hitting a creative dry spell while writing his previous album, Sebastian says the Memphis Album inspired him again.

He's already written more than 10 new soul tracks for an album he plans for next year.

But first there's a tour to get through. Both Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn will be flying out to Australia next year to play alongside the young singer when he takes his soul show on the road in March next year.

Guy Sebastian's Memphis Album is out now through SonyBMG Austrailia.

The Memphis Album was recorded here at Ardent Studios with Curry Weber and Alan Burcham.