The Merri Soul Sessions or Paul Kelly Presents: The Merri Soul Sessions is the twentieth studio album by Australian musician, Paul Kelly, which was issued on 12 December 2014 on his own label, Gawdaggie Records, and distributed by Universal Music Australia. Kelly provided lead vocals on two of its eleven tracks, the rest featured vocals by either Clairy Browne, sisters Vika and Linda Bull, Kira Puru, or Dan Sultan. The album debuted at No. 17 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
The Merri Soul Sessions
Paul Kelly (Australian musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor Ratbaggy and Stardust Five. Kelly's music style has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output straddles folk, rock and country. His lyrics capture the vastness of the culture and landscape of Australia by chronicling life about him for over 30 years. David Fricke from Rolling Stone calls Kelly "one of the finest songwriters I have ever heard, Australian or otherwise". Kelly has said, "Song writing is mysterious to me. I still feel like a total beginner. I don't feel like I have got it nailed yet."
Kelly performing at Byron Bay Bluesfest on 6 April 2015
Salamanca Place, Hobart (2007), where, in mid-1974, Kelly made his first public performance—a two-song set comprising Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" and "Streets of Forbes", a traditional Australian folk song about bushranger Ben Hall.
Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls, Long Bay Gaol, Christmas Eve, 1985
Hotel Esplanade, St Kilda. In May 1995, Kelly recorded tracks for Live at the Continental and the Esplanade (1996) in the hotel's Gershwin Room.