Saxophonist, Michael Lington is one of the world’s top contemporary jazz artists. He also has an incomparable knack for combining hook-laden melodies with soul-infused grooves. Lington’s tenth solo album, Silver Lining, continues this trend; particularly with the leadoff track, “City Life,” which tastefully captures the seductive charm of big-city living, and features a tasty guitar solo by Dave Stewart (Eurythmics).

Produced by Barry Eastmond, Silver Lining also features Grammy Award-winning artists Ray Parker Jr. on the track, “M-Funk” and soul legend William Bell’s inspired vocal on the Curtis Mayfield classic, “People Get Ready.” Other standouts include the funky, “Break The Ice,” and Dorian Holley lending vocals on the classic Tower of Power hit, “So Very Hard To Go.”

Silver Lining will be released on Friday, June 8, which coincides with Lington performing as the opening act for the legendary, Barry Manilow.

AXS recently spoke with Lington about Silver Lining and more in this exclusive new interview.

AXS: How would you describe Silver Lining in terms of its sound and maybe how it relates to some of your previous work?

Michael Lington: It’s an organic soul-jazz record. We recorded it all live in the studio so we could get the right feel and really vibe with each other. This is the third album I’ve done this way, and it produces a more fun and live feel. Almost as if you were at a concert.

AXS: What’s your songwriting process like?

ML: Every song has its own story. Most of the songs were written as a collaboration with my producer, Barry Eastmond, and myself. Sometimes, we get together and write and other times it starts with him sending me a little idea or groove and I put a melody on it. Then we continue writing until we feel it all makes sense. It’s a very collaborative process.

AXS: As an instrumentalist, how do you determine what title to give for a song?

ML: Song titles are hard for me and are usually the last part of the process. What I normally do is sit down, usually with a glass of wine, and listen to each song and really discover what it makes me feel like and somehow, a title appears.

AXS: Let’s discuss a few tracks from Silver Lining. What can you tell me about “City Life”?

AXS: “City Life” was one of the first songs written for Silver Lining and sets the tone for the overall feel of the album. I remember we had just finished mixing the song twice, but still felt that there was something missing. That’s when I came up with the idea of asking Dave Stewart to do his guitar magic on it. We also added a grand piano. As soon as I heard these elements, I knew I had found what I was looking for.

Read the rest of my
Interview with Michael Lington by Clicking Here.