I HAVE NO BUSINESS
DOING THIS ALBUM
THE STORY BEHIND THE NEW ALBUM
Me? Writing and producing R&B and Hip Hop? Come on! As a young kid, this style of music wasn't anywhere near my radar (I'm dating myself, I know). For me it was Beatles, Beatles, Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who. These bands were already considered classic rock (I'm not that old).
Then Michael Jackson's Thriller came out. Holy crap! Every fricken song on the album was a huge hit and completely took over the radio. Not to mention the Thriller video! This was the golden era of MTV and that video played like three times every hour—and we all watched it, all three times! The subject of Michael Jackson is really toxic these days (for good reasons), but he was really influential to all of us.
Lots of big stars in the 80s catapulted R&B to the mainstream and pop radio. Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Lionel Richie, DeBarge, and on and on. You could call them the voices of an era.
But then came NWA Straight Outta Compton. WHAT?! Again, there were lots of influential hip hop and rap artists already out there, but this was the album that hit me (and a lot of people) hard. So while I had no real connection to the stories and struggles, I loved the music, the flow, the vibe.
While R.E.M., Peter Gabriel, U2 and the classics were my go-to bands as I got older, I still appreciated the more urban and soulful sound. The influences and inspiration were clearly baked into my brain. Just maybe not enough to fill my CD holder in the living room with a bunch of it.
Now? I don't need to tell you how much hip hop and rap consumes the radio and streaming platforms. Geez! There's so much epic talent out there topping the charts, with no end in sight. It's crazy!
I look at music and lyrics as a palette of raw material. Sounds, beats and rhythms that come together in endless ways, no matter what genre. You get that goooood feeling when the composition is working. When it does, you run with it.
So that's how I approached this album, just like all the other albums. I kept the stories simple, relatable, mostly based n relationships. Then I adapted them to an R&B/Hip Hop vibe, slinging beats around and experimenting
over them.
Seriously though, I won't pretend to be a rapper, While I created the bones, I did have help tightening up the flow and writing some of the rap phrases that really pop.
Uh huh, I know when my skill set ends, and someone else needs to step in. If it was gonna feel like something, which I think it does, I needed some help. Hopefully you feel it too.
THE SOUND
SOULFUL RHYTHMS THAT CUT DEEP
I like to visualize where I would listen to an album. In this case it's an overnight road trip in the rain. It switches from pouring to a drizzle, but the rain is constant. The highway I'm on takes me through a bunch of quiet cities on the way to...somewhere.
This album, more than the others, was shaped by the evolving beats and sounds. Fresh ideas continuously evolved during the heart of the production process. Let's call it 60/40. 60% followed a beat, a sound, a guitar lick. 40% stayed absolutely true to the original vocal demo. Something like that.
Musically we went for a blend of cutting edge/modern and timelessness. Piano and guitar anchor some of the tracks when it made sense for pure intimacy, Drums and synth loops tie it all together. The goal was to stay grounded and connected to the stories, but also give the songs a big, soulful radio vibe.
THE LATEST ALBUM
R&B/
HIP HOP
VOLUME 1
DESIGNER (released)
JUST A MINUTE (released)
TRY
BE IN LOVE
MY LOVE IS ENOUGH
HOLLOW
LOVE GAME
STILL IMAGES
TANTRUM
PICK UP THE CALL
DUALITY
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THE NEWEST SINGLE
SINGLE: DESIGNER
ALBUM: ROCK VOLUME 1
PREVIEW
Would you choose the private plane over true love?
Image is everything, isn't it? If you don't have the latest handbag or the imported shoe of the season, just don't show up at all. Stay home. Maybe get some knock offs and see if you can get away with it on social. Maybe, but probably not.
It's not easy keeping up. So if you can find someone who wants you so much they'll give you everything you want, why not. Is it true love? Who cares? As long as you can get those $300 jeans everyone is wearing, does it matter?
