Sir Cliff gets soulful

It may be rather late in the day - he is 70 after all - but it seems that Cliff Richard is to record an album with some of the greats of soul music, including Percy Sledge, Candi Station, Freda Payne, Billy Paul, the Stylistics' original lead singer Russell Thompkins Jnr, Dennis Edwards of The Temptations, Peabo Bryson and Chanté Moore. The album will include covers and new material, with about half the songs produced by Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier.
A mere 52 years after Move It, Sir Cliff is set to play Las Vegas in a belated attempt to take America by storm, or so the indefatigable David Gest - the man behind the venture - claims. Gest also hinted that there may be one or two rappers on the album. According to the Mirror, Cliff is moving into hip hop at an age when many people are considering a hip op.

Cliff has long complained about the lack of airplay he receives these days and that it has become hard for someone of his vintage to get through to the music buying public, so maybe this will change all that. Personally I doubt it. Cliff was pretty good as a rock and roller, very successful as a rather bland pop singer, and has displayed incredible staying power and youthfulness. But surely his chance of being a big name in the States has gone. Good luck to him nonetheless.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/mar/07/cliff-richard-soul-legends-las-vegas