Chanté Moore: 25th Anniversary of “Precious”

The debut album Precious by R&B songstress Chanté Moore was released on this day in 1992 via Silas/MCA Records. A collection that fuses Quiet Storm (“Love’s Taken Over”, “It’s Alright”, “Candlelight and You” which finds Moore duetting with immensely talented vocalist Keith Washington), Jazz (“As If We Never Met”, “Precious”, “Finding My Way Back to You”) and R&B (“Who Do I Turn To”, “Because You’re Mine”) thanks to the production assistance of the late Great renowned musician George Duke, BeBe Winans, Laney Stewart, Vassal Benford and Simon Law.

Chanté Moore’s diverse range of vocality is on point, engaging the listening ear. While this Gold-certified album has mostly been slept on due in part to lack of promotion and recognition it very well deserved, it is well appreciated by avid music listeners.

Here’s an excerpt from our recent interview about “Precious":

Terrance: This year marks the 25th anniversary of your debut album Precious. What do you remember most about those recording sessions?

Chanté Moore: It was all brand new and I didn’t know what I was doing. Without the late George Duke I would have been really afraid and I loved how comfortable he made me and what a difference in my recording process having worked with him first and what’s funny is The Rise of the Phoenix is being released the exact day of the Precious album. It’s a pretty amazing thing and I didn’t know until last week (laughs) so this is a pretty special record that I’m happy about.

"Candlelight and You"

An Interview with Chanté Moore

Grammy-nominated R&B singer, songwriter and author Chanté Moore known for hits such as “Chanté’s Got a Man”, “Love’s Taken Over”, “It’s Alright” and “Old School Lovin”, returns with her seventh studio album ‘The Rise of the Phoenix’ which features the Billboard hit single “Real One” and “Something to Remember”. Chanté also share details about her first ever upcoming Holiday album, Christmas Back to You and reminisce on creating her masterpiece debut album ‘Precious’ 25 years ago...

Terrance: Your new album The Rise of the Phoenix opens with “Welcome to the Journey”. So far what has the journey been like for Chanté Moore?

Chanté Moore: It’s been a rollercoaster ride and I think life is like that where it’s exciting, rough, boring, painful, renewing and there are ups and downs we all have to deal with and that’s really what the mythology of what the phoenix is, is becoming reborn with all the things happened around it, the good, the bad, the ugly, whatever it is. It takes that in flames and it’s reborn in it and it’s better and more beautiful than ever and I feel that is the phase I’m going through, just learning, growing, stretching and soaring.

Terrance: One thing I noticed about the album is there are no guest features. Was that intentionally done?

Chanté Moore: No, we were just so busy working, writing and singing so much. We thought about people but by the time we got to it we thought, okay that didn’t happen, so okay!

Terrance: Talk about the creation of the lead single, “Real One”.

Chanté Moore: Well, Lil Ronnie who is @beats4thestars, if you’re an instagram/twitter person. He is a producer that’s been around for a long time, well respected and really good at what he does. We got together and wrote with Felly The Voice and started writing about love and life and relationships and “Real One” definitely connected to my life and we had a good time making that and “Something to Remember”. The whole album is just very personal to me but very new and very fresh.

Terrance: Awesome. If there’s one song on the album that fits your current state of mind what would it be?

Chanté Moore: It would be the interlude, “Welcome to the Journey”, because it is a whole journey. The CD isn’t just one song it really is an entire project, and I thought in a way to look at my life right now so I would say, “Welcome to the Journey” and take the journey with me. There’s uptempos, there’s dancing, there’s love music that you can make love to, there’s songs you will be encouraged by, there’s songs you can just be into loving you know? And I think that’s what people want. They want to dance, they want to sing, they want to make love to and just get out there to the fact that music is being played and hopefully they get that so take the whole journey from 1 to 17 (laughs).

Terrance: Do you feel music has gotten better or worse in the way that it’s consumed by the public?

Chanté Moore: Well, I think it depends on what they are listening to. Some music has gotten stronger while some music hasn’t evolved. I think though that each person have a choice. Nobody is forcing anybody to listen to anything so it’s the choices that we make that changes our lives and our moods. I just think we have to be more conscious about what we listen to so make the choice and be more proactive and not reactive and so if you want to hear something, look for it, pick it and request it on your radio station if it’s not getting played. I just think that is what it’s about being proactive and we have so many outlets, so there’s no excuse not to be excited musically because there are a lot of artists out there.

Terrance: What inspired your first ever upcoming Holiday album, Christmas Back to You.

Chanté Moore: It kinda just happened. The chemistry musically between me, Lil Ronnie and other writers on The Rise of the Phoenix, we were just having so much fun and we knew we had done 30 songs, and by the end of it we were like, you know what? One day we’re gonna do a Christmas album and Ronnie was like, let’s do it right now and so we seized the moment and did it. We created something that we’re extremely proud of and there are 4 remakes and 7 originals and I think it’s one of the best albums I’ve made period so get it and make sure you enjoy it with your family because I’m going to (laughs).

Terrance: Who are some artists we’d be surprised to find in your playlist?

Chanté Moore: Steely Dan, Chris Brown, Incubus, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and I don’t think you’d be surprised to find Prince there but Prince (laughs). I just love listening to different people at different times. When I’m in one mood I listen to certain music and when I’m in another I listen to all Gospel like Fred Hammond and Mary Mary and when I’m in a jazz mood it’s Michael Franks so it just depends on the mood I’m in and I let the music lead me and sometimes I put the whole selection on random.

Terrance: This year marks the 25th anniversary of your debut album Precious. What do you remember most about those recording sessions?

Chanté Moore: It was all brand new and I didn’t know what I was doing. Without the late George Duke I would have been really afraid and I loved how comfortable he made me and what a difference in my recording process having worked with him first and what’s funny is The Rise of the Phoenix is being released the exact day of the Precious album. It’s a pretty amazing thing and I didn’t know until last week (laughs) so this is a pretty special record that I’m happy about.

Terrance: Cool. What do you hope listeners take away from their experience with The Rise of the Phoenix?

Chanté Moore: Oh gosh! That they get a giant piece of my heart because that’s what it’s about to me. Making sure they feel where I am and feel what I sing and understand the lyrics enough to relate, you know? It’s a beautiful album and I hope that they dive in head first and that it touches their hearts. That’s most important.

Terrance: Many have always wondered what’s your beauty regimen for staying youthful in a sometimes exhausting industry such as yours.

Chanté Moore: Well, sleep is the first thing. Make sure you get enough rest as possible because it takes a lot to get your work included in your body so I physically have to get a lot of sleep and I try to get as much as I can. Beauty-wise, I make sure I wash my face every night even if I don’t wear makeup and I steam it and moisturize and drink some water and just treat myself well, you know? Go to the spa as often as possible and making sure that you are physically taking care of the vessel that you have because it’s the last one you got. This is it and you can’t pollute it with too many things or it will give out on you so just take care of yourself.

Terrance: Anything additional you would like to leave with the readers?

Chanté Moore: Just thank you! I’m always so grateful to do what I love to do for a living still. Stay hopeful and don’t give up. That’s the whole theme of The Rise of the Phoenix, the resilience and the rebirth so take this journey with me.

'Real One" (Video)

"Something to Remember" (Video)

Stevie D. Lundy of The Force M.D.'s Interview: New Album ‘Our Favorite Joints’, Upcoming Documentary & More!

My interview with original founding member and TVOne’s Unsung alum Stevie D. Lundy of the Legendary Force M.D.’s (“Tender Love”, “Love Is a House”, “Tears”). Stevie D. discuss their latest project, Our Favorite Joints, his book Necessary Force, Upcoming Documentary and much more…

Terrance: Talk about your latest all covers album Our Favorite Joints and what inspired it.

Stevie D: The record company asked us. They said would we be interested in doing an album of remakes and we said, why not? It’s definitely a lot of artists we look up to and admire, so why not give tributes to some of those artists that gave good music to people and we went and did it man and it was very good doing it and we’re really happy with the response we’re getting from it. Ralph Tresvant calls us and says, Hey man I really like the remake y’all did of “Can You Stand the Rain”. That’s a great compliment and it feels good man.

Terrance: And speaking of good music, reflecting back to your own breakout hit “Tender Love”. Talk about the creation of that song.

Stevie D: Oh my God. Well, we [Force M.D.’s], were supposed to be in the movie Krush Groove, but they used New Edition at the last minute because New Edition were the more popular group and we understood that, but they did say to us we can get you guys on the soundtrack if it’s okay with y’all? We said, Hey we can’t lose we wanted to be involved with the movie somehow and they did get us on the soundtrack and “Tender Love” was the song. They did pass it on to a couple other artists who turned it down, so what we did was record the song and it only took maybe two hours to record it with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. One of the members in the group was like, Hey man that song need drums we need some kind of drums in it and Jam and Lewis were like, we don’t need drums man it’s going to be a hit without drums and they were going back and forth and they were like, I guarantee it’s going to be a smash hit without drums, and boy they were right on the money! They called it and it was a huge hit. It was one of the fastest recording songs out of all our songs.

Terrance: Where were you guys you first heard it on the radio and your reaction to it?

Stevie D: We were like, Wow! We were on tour and that song just dominated the tour and we were so shocked that the response was so huge for that song. We’d hear it in supermarkets, elevators so it was a blessing and that song also opened the doors for Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis as one of the first Pop hits and then they worked with Janet on “What Have You Done for Me Lately” and so forth.

Terrance: Since your whole inception into music how has the business of music changed or evolved?

Stevie D: Well, technology is definitely one of them. It gets your music out there so much more faster now and the internet and all the outlets right now is definitely making things happen quicker for artists. It wasn’t like that back in the 80’s when we came out, but we’re getting hip to the whole ride of it and trying to get our music out there just the same, you know? It’s dominated by a younger generation now and the lyrical content is more aggressive than it was back then, so it’s definitely something you got to get adjusted to, but we still try to be ourselves and do what we do. We’re 50 years old, we don’t try to act like we’re 18 or 20 years old. We’re just putting grown and sexy music out there for the people to hear and still enjoy.

Terrance: What motivates you guys to keep The Force M.D.’s legacy going?

Stevie D: What motivates us man is the tragedies we had in the group. We know that the group members we lost would want us to keep going and not stop because of what happened. We want them to look down and make them proud and plus there’s a lot of fans out there that really like our music and don’t want us to stop, so we’re just going to go with our guts and keep it going man and as long as we’re capable of still making good music, why not? If it’s something you love doing so much in your life keep it going.

Terrance: Awesome. So you mentioned the tragedies and after witnessing it all unravel, what has been the biggest lesson learned?  

Stevie D: Everyday is not promised to you. That’s a big lesson. Dealing with the tragedies and deaths in the group really, really touched us so much that it gets hard to get up on stage and sing but we feel in our hearts that they are still on the stage with us spiritually for some reason. We still carry the same energy and our vocal ability to pull it off and still sound the same and that’s a blessing that God gave us and we’re mostly a family-orientated group so we still sound the same and like I said we’re making them proud and ourselves proud to still be able to carry on the legacy.

Terrance: A few years ago you authored a book called Necessary Force. What prompt you to write it?

Stevie D: Well, I’m a good storyteller man let’s just keep it real. When I tell stories people are so engaged by my storytelling ability (laughs) and I always got, man you should write a book Stevie, like I was right there while you were speaking at me. A friend of mine says, hey I know a guy who writes books and he gave me the chance and I wrote a book and it’s still available now and people enjoyed it and said they couldn’t put it down, so that made me feel good and to have another talent somewhere writing books so it’s a blessing. And they say they get The Force M.D.’s even more after reading it.

Terrance: Can we expect a documentary or biopic in the near future?

Stevie D: Yes, we do have a documentary that’s going to drop it’s called Force M.D.’s Relived. A lot of people enjoyed the Unsung that we had on TVOne and it touched them to see our story. It was a great Unsung and it was in the top 10 when it came out two years ago. But our documentary Force M.D.’s Relived is what going to really touch people because it’s a 90 minute documentary compared to the 45 minute documentary we had on Unsung that had to be cut down.

Terrance: Talk about the upcoming shows or events you guys are scheduled for.

Stevie D: Well, we just off the Back to the 80’s tour. We still have a lot of spot dates like Columbia, Augusta, Virginia and throughout this year. We’re going to be on the Tom Joyner Cruise next year again, this will be our fourth appearance on there. We’re great friends and he got a lot of love for us and we’re always happy to be involved in that and we’re going to do another tour and I’m really excited man.

Terrance: Anything not discussed you would like to share with the readers?

Stevie D: Of course we have a new single out called, “Don’t Rush” that we’re happy about and the people seem to love. It’s a great comeback song for starters for what’s to come next.

WWW.THEFORCEMDS.COM

Demetria McKinney Interview Part 2: Debut Album ‘Officially Yours’ | New Television Series on Syfy | Bobbi Kristina Biopic

Earlier this year I interviewed singer/actress Demetria McKinney (see HERE), where she discussed the lead single “Easy” from her debut album Officially Yours available October 6th. In part two of our interview, Demetria update us with her debut album, new television series, plus her role in TVOne’s biopic of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s only child Bobbi Kristina Brown and much more...

Terrance: After a much delayed album, Officially Yours finally have a release date. Why do you think the time is right now?

Demetria McKinney: (Laughs). I think the time is right now because now it happened, you know? I’m a Virgo and if anybody know anything about us we’re very analytical, we’re very particular, we tend to analyze everything and the person I was two years ago isn’t the person I’ve grown to be today as a woman, vocally as an artist, all of it. I’ve gotten a chance to be around some amazing artists and I’ve kind of gotten a chance to go through my own shares of heartbreak, love and growth and I think I wanted that to pour into the music because I have finally presented myself. The woman I am today being totally different from the woman I was two years ago is why now is the perfect time for Officially Yours.

Terrance: Cool. So talk about the inspiration behind your latest single, “Is this Love”.

Demetria McKinney: “Is this Love” was inspired by some real stuff boy! (Laughs). Of course Robert Christopher that’s my boy, he play the love interest in the video as well as that’s his directorial debut. I think he did an amazing job on both parts but even though I’ve never had to nook nobody in the head like I did in the video or anything like that (laughs). it is inspired by the ups and downs of my real passionate relationship I had with someone very, very special and trying to figure out when we go through these ups and these downs and when we go through those moments when we are kind of intentionally hurting each other and then intentionally kind of loving each other, is that all what love is? Are those moments what we have to look forward to on the journey of love? And at the end I think it’s really cool that we asked, should he stay? So I wanted that video to provoke some thought and conversation with your significant other or maybe even your ex because we didn’t take advantage of remembering the good times instead we focused on that bad moment or maybe vice versa you’re in an abusive relationship and you’re just concentrating on the good but you ain’t paying attention to this black eye, so let’s look at all what love is and then make a decision, is that really love for me?

Terrance: Got it. Switching gears to your acting. You star in Syfy’s new television series ‘Superstition’ which airs on October 6th. Talk about that role.

Demetria McKinney: Oh wow, Superstition is a totally different vehicle for me, not only network wise for audience wise but the role itself is so much more meaty than I’ve had to the fact I do my own stunts. There’s a lot of different layers I have with the relationship with people that I really haven’t explored in any other character before. So I play the role of May Westbrook and she’s kind of the reality in the midst of the sci-fi drama and thriller. She kind of try her best to keep the order but she’s also the human side of us that get caught off guard in the supernatural. It’s a really, really fun role to play and I love the dynamics that she share with everybody including Mario Van Peebles.

Terrance: How did you land the role of Whitney Houston in the biopic chronicling the life and death of Bobbi Kristina?

Demetria McKinney: I auditioned for that. Playing Ms. Whitney Houston was always, always the dream role for me and when the opportunity presented itself I approached it with fear and trembling, honey (laughs). It wasn’t anything I took on lightly or took less than serious, so when they called me with it, of course the elation was there, the honor was there, the thrill was there so it was the fear. It’s a really iconic character to take on and even more than that she’s the reason I am what I am musically. She inspired my voice, she inspired my music - a lot of it, so wanting to do her this justice was the biggest fear factor for me.

Terrance: From your perspective what do you hope people learn from it?

Demetria McKinney: From my perspective I hope they learn two things, that these were people. You know how sometimes you send a text message to somebody and it can be hard to read, how they meant it or what they meant. Were they mad? Were they smiling? There’s no damn emoji. You know I think with all the tabloid and fallacious stuff out there, people forgot that these were people behind these stories. We didn’t give them the opportunity to be human. We didn’t give them the opportunity to make choices and figure out how to fix them before we judged them. The other part of that is realizing the power of choice. I’m a huge advocate for that and not just talking about women choice and all that other stuff, but just choice in general. Free will is something that God gave us. It was just that powerful and Whitney and Bobbi Kris made the choice to love, to have hope and to have faith and there were some other choices, but I think that once you realize the choices they made, not that you might necessarily agree with them, you will get a better understanding of them.  

Terrance: Can you share any details on what we can expect from Tyler Perry’s House of Payne spinoff The Paynes coming to OWN TV?

Demetria McKinney: You know more of the greatness that Tyler Perry brings. House of Payne was the thing that launched not only my career but a couple of other peoples as well and people fell in love with The Payne’s because they found themselves in each of those characters so I think they can expect to still find more of those characters and the newcomers in the show as well as well as us old heads as you would call it. It’s just more of the laughter, fun and faith and that’s exactly what his brand is and that’s exactly what we’re going to bring back to The Payne’s.

Terrance: I know season 3 of Saints & Sinners is coming back as well.

Demetria McKinney: Yeah boy! (laughs). I love that show. As we mentioned earlier, you know Superstition is great in that it deals with a different brand of spirituality but Saints & Sinners is awesome because it deals with the spirituality I grew up in. I grew up in a Church and I’m a Deacon’s kid so you know I heard all the little bad stories and bad stuff going on in the corner and who’s working in the club so I saw all of that and I think that’s the really, really special thing about this is that we confront those nuances that make our Churches and our faith kind of tested at times. I think that the real strength in the show is that these people come through it and overcome it and at the end of the day their faith and love for each other brings them back to the saints side after they’ve been a sinner for a second. So i’m looking forward to revising the role of Tamara Austin we don’t know if she’s going to keep the baby, Jesus what’s going to happen? We don’t know (laughs).

Terrance: Any final words you would like to share with the readers?

Demetria McKinney: Everyone can follow me on the social media outlet @demetria4real on Instagram and Facebook, @demetriamckinney on Twitter. I have to shout out #Demetrians and everyone who’s been rocking with me. Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered the album. Thank you to the folks like you and RnB Junkie, just making sure the newcomers in R&B and old R&B continues to flourish and grow and be reintroduced each and every time so thank you so much.

“Is this Love” (VIDEO)

“Easy” (VIDEO)

An Interview with Marc Nelson (Formerly of Az Yet)

Emmy Award winning songwriter/singer/actor Marc Nelson who’s probably best known as the lead vocalist in the R&B group Az Yet (“Last Night”, “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”) and break-out solo hit “15 Minutes”. Marc who was also an original member of Boyz II Men before they got signed share details about reuniting with the Legendary group as well as his latest single "Wishing You the Worst", thoughts on Relationships, the status of Az Yet and much more...

Terrance: Your latest single “Wishing You the Worst” is out, talk about the meaning behind that song.

Marc Nelson: It’s basically about a guy who broke up with his woman or his woman left him and she went to go be with another man and he’s just really hoping she’s having the worst time of her life with this guy. Hoping he’s not doing or saying things he feels he’s doing for her and making her regret being with the new guy she’s with and hoping she’ll come back (laughs).

Terrance: And with that said, from your perspective what do you think is key to a successful relationship?

Marc Nelson: I think some of the keys or I wanna say the main keys to a successful relationship, and I believe this in my heart, I think that it’s so important that you understand that a relationship is not just about a physical, emotional love that you have for the person but it’s also about survival. I think it’s important to keep your word when you’re making an agreement with your spouse; do what you say, mean what you say, because that builds trust with an individual. If you say, ‘hey I’m going to make sure I pay this bill on this day’, that in itself is going to establish if you trust a person and they can trust you and if you break that then you’ve just begun to walk down the road of not being able to trust each other. You’d be surprised that something that appears to be that small is massive when it comes to building a relationship with somebody because even though you have this physical connection and this emotional connection, you may even have a very spiritual connection, but you’re not going to survive at all with your partner if you don’t keep your agreements with them. That is huge.

Terrance: Is there an album on your agenda or is the focus on singles only?

Marc Nelson: The focus is on singles only for me. I think that I want to put out a number of singles and then turn that into an album because I don’t think people love everything you put on one CD. It’s a combination of wasting material and not allowing people to decide what they want so that’s why I’m just doing singles.

Terrance: What are your thoughts on the current climate of R&B music?

Marc Nelson: You know it’s so funny I think it’s necessary to put a title on music and calling it R&B. Like Country is Country, Classical is Classical, so you have to have at least some sort of title but I think Classical has never changed and that’s why you can keep calling it Classical (laughs). Same with Country music it has never changed. R&B has changed so it’s really hard to say R&B music because it’s meshed with Hip Hop, and some Pop and various other things. I did share with somebody probably about a month ago, when I was a kid my mother was telling me how she loved music from the 50’s and 60’s and I couldn’t relate because I didn’t grow up with that music. I grew up with the 70’s, 80’s and I was part of the 90’s and so my love for the music that my generation was into is the way it’s supposed to be, so the music of today is really loved by the younger generation of today and I just respect that they love what they are growing up on. I enjoy some of it but I can’t fully relate to all of it because I come from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s so I respect everyone for loving what they love, but I can say this though I love the fact music today is so spread out and diverse because there are independent artists all over the place and major record labels are not dominating the scene anymore so that’s how I feel about it.

Terrance: Got you. So what was it like winning at the prestigious Emmy Awards?

Marc Nelson: Oh man, it was such a shock because I was nominated for five of em first of all, and when I’m creating I’m not thinking about awards and so for it come up I was nominated for five Emmy's that blew me away, I said Wow! And even the fact I did it via my reunion with my guys Boyz II Men was even more surreal but it was just exciting and a blessing but I was just loving the fact that I really wasn’t paying attention to it I was just being creative so yeah true honor.

Terrance: You spoke about your reunion with Boyz II Men. Not many might know you were an original founding member before they got signed. When looking at the success they’ve had over the years do you regret not staying?

Marc Nelson: Well no I don’t have any regrets because most people don’t know the true story as to why I wasn’t with Boyz II Men and I intend on sharing that in a book that I’m currently writing. Yes it was very devastating for me I would at least say that much, but no regrets because it’s not a matter of Marc Nelson walking away from something he actually put together with Nathan Morris.

Terrance: Talk about rejoining Boyz II Men on stage in Las Vegas at the Mirage Hotel & Casino.

Marc Nelson: I gotta say man it’s very surreal seeing as though it’s been years since we were together, but I’m gonna say in 2012 we decided it would be a good idea for us to reconnect and see what we can do as a unit again. The Vegas gig came up and we thought this would be a good situation to put into the public the four of us coming together again and so I took a trip out to Vegas and watched the whole presentation of Boyz II Men basically getting the key to the city and we moved on into developing the show and seeing how it would work and how it would gel together and I have to say it's been pretty successful because we've been there now for about five years.

Terrance: Awesome. The fans have been asking will there be more dates added to your stage play I Can’t Make You Love Me?

Marc Nelson: Yes, absolutely! We are definitely getting ready to do Cleveland on December 16th and we are working on dates for Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Toronto Canada just for starters. We just don’t have those dates locked in yet.

Terrance: Last year your group Az Yet reunited for the first time in two decades to create the sophomore album She’s Magic. Can you share what’s next for Az Yet?

Marc Nelson: Well, I would tell you truth be told we did the one CD and that was it and I really wanted to do more with the guys but it’s interesting the same reason that it took so long to just reunite for whatever reason still exist and I have to be honest about that, so I’m going to put it out there to you now I created a new version I’m calling Az Yet 2.0 and you can expect to see us starting in December in a city near you.

Terrance: As a songwriter you’ve written for some of the best from Toni Braxton, Tyrese, Brandy, Jon B. to Tamia, but the one song that stick out to me is “Truthfully” by Brandy.

Marc Nelson: Okay so I connected with Harvey Mason Jr. who is now in Underdog and this was when Brandy was like at the highlight of her career and my attorney who was Fred Davis at the time just so happened to represent the President at Atlantic Records the label that Brandy was on and I told my attorney I had a perfect song for Brandy and so it was just easy for him to call the president and play the song and so he loved the song and he sent it over to Brandy and she loved the song and I went in and produced it, so yeah that’s how that went down.

Terrance: I know you did background vocals on that song as well?

Marc Nelson: Oh yeah, back in those times I did a lot of background vocals on a lot of records man.

Terrance: You did background vocals on “Why Does It Hurt So Bad” by Whitney Houston right?

Marc Nelson: Yep. And “You’re Makin’ Me High” for Toni Braxton. It was just a great time. Babyface exposed me to a lot of people and I’m so grateful of that.

Terrance: Anything you would like to leave with the readers not previously discussed?

Marc Nelson: Right now I’m working on a few things. I have this new event I do called Magic Music Nights with Marc Nelson and it is basically in Vegas at Backstage Bar & Billiards. It’s on a Thursday night once a month so go on my website www.imarcnelson.com or @imarcnelson on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

In Retrospect: Mariah Carey’s “Butterfly” Album turns 20

Butterfly is the sixth album by superstar Mariah Carey. Considered by Carey herself, to be her "magnum opus", Butterfly marked a turning point in Carey's career; showcasing a diverging image and a more hip-hop sound in comparison to her previous pop sound. Butterfly if you listen is extremely autobiographical, being released after her split from ex-husband Tommy Mottola. This transitional album also reinvented Mariah Carey. Often times, artists who attempt to change their sound do not resonate with consumers, however Carey triumphed. Five singles were released from the album including "Honey" which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "My All" released in 1998 which also went to #1. Other singles, "Butterfly", "Breakdown" and "The Roof" also received significant airplay. Butterfly went on to be certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and received three Grammy nominations.

HONEY (Video)

Rachelle Ferrell Appreciation: “Rachelle Ferrell” turns 25

Rachelle Ferrell, a virtuoso, and she is what I call "One of the Greatest Singers Alive".

This release is her debut album in the US, although her first album "First Instrument" was released outside of the US in 1989/1990. This album was a much more urban contemporary vibe compared to her jazz debut album. Released in 1992, Ms.Ferrell's vocals are on point and crystal clear. Her range extends six amazing octaves, which are shown on many tracks.

Her ear piercing whistle register on her most well known single, "With Open Arms", will make your body twist and eyes water. She has immense vocal stamina, belting a powerful 17 second note on the conclusion of "With Open Arms". Her whistle register can also be heard on "I'm Special", and also another well-known single, "Til' You Come Back To Me". This Gold certified album has been slept on, and so has Rachelle Ferrell as an artist. She is not only a vocalist, but a well trained pianist as well. It is a disappointment that this album was not given the promotion or recognition it should have gotten, however; it is well appreciated by avid music listeners.

An Interview with Nicole Wray

 

When we hear a song it takes us back to place; where we were and what we were doing at the time and Nicole Wray is one of those artists when she burst on the scene in 1998 with her debut hit single “Make It Hot” under the guidance of Hip Hop mogul and heavyweight Missy Elliott. From there she established herself and despite the obstacles she’s still here to tell her story...

Terrance: Talk to me about your latest album Queen Alone and the idea behind it.

Nicole Wray: Well, on the album I wanted to go back to when there were live instruments. I feel that’s a lost art today from the big band to the trumpet to the piano to the bass and lead guitars, jazz, all of that (laughs). Some would call it retro-soul but for me it's just me making great quality relatable music from the heart that evokes storytelling of love and past situations.

Terrance: Is there a personal song on the album that stands out to you?

Nicole Wray: I would have to say the song “Guilty” because prior to writing that my brother got in some trouble and was incarcerated. It was hard for the whole family seeing him locked up because we were so close and this was around the Holiday and he wasn’t there to share it with me and so I felt guilty like I could have prevented the situation and so I started writing trying to find therapy in that ordeal. I thought maybe someone else with an incarcerated loved one could relate as well and let them know tough times don’t last always.

Terrance: In the Summer of ‘98 you dropped your debut single “Make It Hot”, which was your breakout hit talk about the creation behind that song.

Nicole Wray: Missy played it for me in the studio and back then I wasn’t really writing so she was the driving force behind that song and my whole debut album. I thought it was soooo dope! I learned the song in a week and went to record it. Everything was happening so fast and before I knew it I was filming the video.

Terrance: Aaliyah made a cameo in that video, what was it like working with her?

Nicole Wray: Working with Aaliyah was incredible. She was so talented yet humbling for an already established artist like herself to show me so much love. I remembered she came to the set of my “Make It Hot” video and I was so nervous, I mean everybody was there (laughs). It was all in love and support and from there, we did a Superfriends tour that took us everywhere. Our friendship was brief but I’m forever grateful of her taking me in as a then rookie in the game.

Terrance: After the success of your debut album you were gearing up to release your sophomore album Elektric Blue that was never released, explain what happened and what led to your hiatus from the business.

Nicole Wray: There are many factors as to why the Elektric Blue album never seen the light, but at the time Missy was really, really blowing up and then she started signing other artists and I kind of got lost in the shuffle and it left me and my manager with no choice but to start over from scratch. I took a hiatus, went back home and was just writing and in the midst of that I found another manager who brought me back to New York where I met with Roc-A-Fella Records executives. I was their first female R&B artist and I was so amped-up to get back to working. We released the single “If I Was Your Girlfriend” which got a buzz at Hot 97, the radio station in New York.

Terrance: I remember that cut.

Nicole Wray: Yes and people were requesting it left and right. It felt really great to get the support from people after the Missy situation. Unfortunately Dame Dash and Jay-Z split and went their separate ways and here I was again with another unreleased album. It just felt like bad luck and so I went back to the drawing board once again and relocated to Atlanta where the music scene was thriving.

Terrance: Do you still maintain a close relationship with Missy Elliott?

Nicole Wray: Well, you know life happens and we all move around so I wouldn’t say we have a close relationship at this point but we randomly hit each other up, so there’s still love there. I’m forever grateful for the opportunities she’s given me in my career and the comradery that we had in those early days I don’t take for granted.

Terrance: Who are some artists you’re listening to at the moment?

Nicole Wray: I’m really feeling artists like Janelle Monae, Sevyn Streeter, Kehlani, SZA, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper. OutKast always made a statement. Raphael Saadiq will always hold a special place in my heart and just his whole transition to being a soul artist. That inspires me so much man. Tony! Toni! Tone! is basically my childhood.

Terrance: What are your thoughts on R&B and where it stand today?

Nicole Wray: I mean, I can’t knock it. There’s a whole new generation out here doing their thing. If it’s making money and keeping you off the streets then so be it. I love how they are embracing the 90’s sound by incorporating it into their music like Bryson Tiller did with “Exchange” or Tory Lanez did with “Say It”. But overall I will say there’s a lack in strong melodies and subject matters. When I was coming along we had Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, you know, songs about love in it’s purest form.

Terrance: Where can the readers reach out to you in social media?

Nicole Wray: The readers can follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @ladynicolewray for all updates and my whereabouts as far as music and appearances are concerned.

Terrance: Anything not discussed you would like to add?

Nicole Wray: I just want to thank my loyal supporters who have supported me along the way whether it’s my solo records or my duo release as Lady with Terri Walker. I value your feedback and opinions because there would be no me without you. I have to also thank people like yourself who give R&B music a platform to be heard.

"Underneath My Feet"

(VIDEO)

"Guilty"

(AUDIO)