Jacksoul Take A Stab At Ashlee Simpson

Canadian R&B group Jacksoul are trying their hand at covers on MySoul, a 14-track journey across 50 years of music.

The record, due on June 20 from Sony BMG, will have one new Jacksoul composition titled "OneSong," but it's mainly an outlet for the band to explore some of their favourite funk, soul and R&B tracks of the last half-century.

Jacksoul evidently didn't discriminate when choosing songs to add their personal touch to. MySoul sees the band cover Ashlee Simpson, Radiohead and Jane's Addiction as well as veterans like David Bowie and Curtis Mayfield.

"Singing from the heart and telling real people's stories isn't just an R&B thing," explains lead singer Haydain Neale on the band's website. "It would be wrong to say R&B artists alone have a monopoly on writing with soul.

"If you listen to 'Been Caught Stealing' [Jane's Addiction], I hear a funk jam. I thought that back in 1990 and still hear it like that today... With MySoul, I was trying to say more about how these songs make me feel inside, and that defined my interpretation."

Neale is joined on the album by Justin Abedin on guitars, Ron Lopata on keyboards, Davide Direnzo on percussion and John Kanakis on bass. Engineer Brad Haehnel (Esthero, K'Naan, Nelly Furtado) co-produced the album with Neale and also added horns.

"[It] is a window into the history of soul," says Neale of MySoul, "a celebration of the music I grew up on, the stuff that inspired us as songwriters and the tunes I still sing in the shower."

You can catch Jacksoul at these dates:

June 15 Burlington, ON @ Sound Of Music Festival
June 20 Toronto, ON @ First Canadian Place
June 22 Toronto, ON @ Harbourfront
June 24 Regina, SK @ Casino Regina
June 25 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
June 26 Saskatoon, SK @ Bessborough Gardens Main Stage
June 28 Castlegar, BC @ Element Club
June 29 Victoria, BC @ Courtyard At Market Square
June 30 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom

Here are the songs on MySoul:

"OneSong"
"My Ever Changing Moods" (Style Council)
"Superfly" (Curtis Mayfield)
"Love TKO" (Teddy Pendergrass)
"Ashes To Ashes" (David Bowie)
"Try" (Blue Rodeo)
"These Eyes" (The Guess Who)
"Been Caught Stealing" (Jane's Addiction)
"High & Dry" (Radiohead)
"Pieces Of Me" (Ashlee Simpson)
"It's Over" (Level 42)
"Knock On Wood" (Eddie Floyd)
"1979" (Smashing Pumpkins)
"Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke)