It’s been 40 years since Alison Moyet stepped out of Yazoo and fired up a solo career with her #1 debut album Alf and Top 10 hits Love Resurrection and All Cried Out. That unmistakable voice – big enough to fill a stadium and yet intimate enough to make you feel as though she’s singing just for you – has taken her on quite a journey since, with career highlights including two #1 albums, six Top 10 singles, two BRIT Awards and a GRAMMY® nomination.
Alison Moyet
Following her recent graduation from Brighton University in 2023 with a first-class degree in Fine Art Printmaking BA (Hons), Alison Moyet has combined both art and music here, creating the album art herself to celebrate her 40th year as a solo artist with the release of Key on October 4th – a collection of 16 reworked singles, fan favourites and deep cuts as well as two new songs which combine to present a blazing showcase of the depth and breadth of her artistic creativity and songwriting. She’s launched the album by sharing one of its brand new songs – Such Small Ale – alongside the reworked classic Moyet single All Cried Out.
Moyet says: “I wanted to take the opportunity to look at the trajectory of the past four decades and explore songs that, in their original form, were never fully realised or have had their relevance to me altered by time.”
Check out Such Small Ale below:
The songs that feature on Key were all reimagined alongside her producer, arranger and musical director Sean McGhee. Some songs remain closer to the originals, All Cried Out and Love Resurrection are refreshed rather than reinvented, their ‘80s motifs switched for a more timeless production. And others are cast in a new light, see McGhee’s exquisite arrangements of both Guy Sigsworth co-write Filigree, and Is This Love?, now translated as a sweeping, shimmering epic ballad. This album has allowed Moyet to revisit some of the songwriting highlights of her career including tracks such as Can’t Say It Like I Mean It and This House.
The lavish new single Such Small Ale fits naturally alongside the classics, with Moyet’s voice seasoned by experience but losing none of its emotion-inspiring grandeur. It’s also a song that’s the perfect fit for how her voice has developed, one that feels both contemporary but with a hint of nostalgic ‘60s flavour. The 62-year-old wrote the song with McGhee and Suede guitarist Richard Oakes, the latter of whom performs on several tracks on the album. Key distils 40 years of music making, presenting a cohesive overview of a long and dazzling journey. The singer says, “I hope this collection will be the key to those unopened doors. Let yourself in.”
Listen to All Cried Out (Key Version) below:
This week has also seen the launch of 40 Moyet Moments. A 40-part podcast series featuring Moyet in conversation with her long-time digital manager, Steve Coats-Dennis discussing the key moments of Moyet’s career: the highs, the lows and everything in between.
Moyet will also embark upon a long awaited World tour in 2025 – her first full headline tour since 2017. UK, Ireland and European dates are announced today and US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand dates are to follow. She adds, “Live work really matters to me. I can’t dial in a performance. I love the physical feeling that singing gives me. It’s totally primal and euphoric. On stage I remember how to connect with myself.”
2025 UK & Ireland tour dates:
FEBRUARY
16th – Dublin, 3Olympia
17th – Belfast, Waterfront Hall
20th – York, Barbican
21st – Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
22nd – Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
24th – Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
25th – Stoke-on-Trent, Victoria Hall
27th – Birmingham, Symphony Hall
28th – Cambridge, Corn Exchange
MARCH
1st – Ipswich, Regent Theatre
3rd – Sheffield, City Hall
4th – Stockton, Globe
6th – Gateshead, The Glasshouse
7th – Buxton, Opera House
8th – Reading, Hexagon
10th – Brighton, Dome
11th – London, Palladium
13th – Bournemouth, Pavilion Theatre
14th – Swansea, Arena
15th – Bath, Forum
17th – Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
18th – Aylesbury, Waterside Theatre
20th – Edinburgh, Usher Hall
21st – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
22nd – Aberdeen, Music Hall
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