“The whole experience was brilliant for me, it was a joy from start to finish” Beverley Knight tells Andy Howells as the pair discuss her latest album Soulsville of which she will perform songs from live at St David’s Hall next week.

Recorded early last year at Royal Studios in Memphis, Soulsville celebrates the music, sounds and legacy of Memphis and was produced by Grammy nominated Justin Stanley, it features original material co –written by Beverley, alongside a handful of classic Memphis covers including Private Number with Jamie Cullum and Hound Dog with Jools Holland.

As Beverley reveals though the album came about quite by chance when she visited Memphis for other reasons. “The opportunity presented itself because I went to Memphis to do a recce for a role I was doing in Memphis the musical so I could get a sense for what Memphis was about. I went to Royal Studios and when I stepped in the door and saw that Al Green and Ann Peebles I thought Oh My God! I want to record my album here!”

A year later, Beverley returned to Memphis with her own compositions and a list of classics to put down Soulsville with many musicians who performed on Al Green’s recordings. Beverley adds “! I can’t explain what it was like to be in that room with all that history that you could just reach out and touch, it was just fantastic!”

Beverley is excited about bringing the Soulsville playlist to Cardiff next week, she says of the show, “I’ll be showcasing most of the album and singing the hit records I’ve done over the years with maybe just a hint of what I’ve been doing in Musical Theatre. There’s also always something that I do at my show that’s a little unexpected and that will be honoured!”

Beverley Knight plays St David’s Hall on June 22. For tickets visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Beverley-Knight-tickets/artist/932833