WET WET WET - KATRINA INSPIRES PELLOW

WET WET WET singer MARTI PELLOW was inspired to make his new solo album after witnessing first hand the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. THE LOVE IS ALL AROUND star was in nearby Memphis, Tennessee, when New Orleans, Louisiana, was hit by the hurricane in August 2005. The plight of thousands of people inspired him to go back to the studio for the first time since his 2003 album BETWEEN THE COVERS. He says, "There was a mass exodus of people who arrived in Memphis looking for shelter during the evacuation. "I saw the powerful imagery on the streets as well as on TV and that inspired the lyrics (on the album) that are all about giving and loving. "I can't say what I think about the (GEORGE W) BUSH administration's handling of the situation. The disorganisation was immense in New Orleans and that community is still paying the price. Friends of mine are working as volunteers in the ninth district of New Orleans, putting up temporary housing and trying to source the money to do so. "Seeing people relocated from their circumstances, coming in their thousands from bus stations as I headed home from the recording studio, was hard to ignore. I decided we should write a song about that."