A host of British artists have contributed to the new compilation album Goodnight Songs For Rebel Girls, which is released on Decca Records today. The LP serves as a musical addendum to the successful book series Rebel Girls, which was written to inspire young girls across the globe with with stories and illustrations of some of history’s most iconic and inspiring women.

We’re happy to announce that Good Night SONGS for Rebel Girls, a new album inspired by the book series – Good Night Stories is out now. This beautiful album includes Skye’s acoustic version of ‘The Only Way Is Up’. Stream. Listen. Buy – https://t.co/shnN1VLXhs pic.twitter.com/QzXoWpYvKJ

— Morcheeba (@MorcheebaBand) November 27, 2020

The British artists featuring on the new record include Pontypridd singer-songwriter Amy Wadge, covering Elton John’s seminal Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; Scottish folk-rocker KT Tunstall, who covers The Pretenders’ 1986 single Hymn To Her; Norfolk-born Brit Award winner Beth Orton, who adds her own spin to Antony and The Johnsons’ For Today I Am A Boy; and Morcheeba vocalist Skye Edwards (aka SKYE), who delivers an acoustic version of Yazz’s feelgood classic The Only Way Is Up.

Speaking about her involvement on the album, Edwards told The Shortlisted: “I’m a mother of four – two are daughters – and I love the positive inspirational message of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, so I was of course very excited to be part of the ‘Good Night Songs for Rebel Girls’. When it came to choosing which song to cover, I thought about the first record I bought on vinyl in the 80s, ‘The Only Way Is Up’, by Yazz. It has been my 12-year-old son’s primary school music teacher that suggested recording it acoustically. He’s starting a blog for his pupils called Mr Scullin’s Music Room and was interviewing my husband and I about Morcheeba and life as a musician. We got talking about Rebel Girls and that’s how it came about. He ended up playing the guitar on the track!”

Elsewhere there are appearances on the album from British-Indian sitar maestro Anoushka Shankar; Sussex singer-songwriter Marie White, the winner of the Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent competition in 2019; and Cumbrian saxophonist Jess Gilliam, who presents a reimagining of the Carole King masterpiece You’ve Got A Friend.

The LP has a distinctly international flavour, with further contributions from Ireland’s Imelda May; Norway’s Aurora; Italian singer and model Elodie; Belgian instrumentalist Lubiana; South Korean singer Somin; and Lyon multi-instrumentalist Pomme. The record also features tracks from two bona fide American legends, with intriguing cameos from punk rock godmother Joan Jett (performing her own track Fresh Start) and soul-pop songstress Anastacia, who brings her own brand of gusto to Kelly Clarkson’s 2012 mega-hit Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).

The full track listing for Goodnight Songs For Rebel Girls is as follows:

1 Beloved – Imelda May
2 Girl on Fire – Lubiana
3 The Only Way is Up – SKYE
4 Thank You – Aurora
5 Stronger – Anastacia
6 Fresh Start – Joan Jett
7 Brass in Pocket – Ani DiFranco
8 Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Tank and the Bangas
9 Hymn to Her – KT Tunstall
10 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Amy Wadge
11 Issues – Marie White
12 For Today I am a Boy – Beth Orton
13 You’ve Got a Friend – Jess Gillam
14 Joga – Anoushka Shankar
15 Beautiful – Somin
16 Va Tu Sei Libero (You Don’t Own Me) – Elodie
17 The Park – Pomme