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15 May

Posted at 15:44h in Interviews, Music, Return To The Classics
Cool Relax was released on September 16, 1997 by Epic Records. Coming off a successful debut album, Bonafide in 1995, Jon B. returned to the heavily crowded R&B landscape by leaving an indelible mark with his sophomore album.  He drew comparisons to his mentor, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds due to the fact Babyface was the executive producer of his first project. The singles that were released from the “Bonafide” album contained many of Babyface’s trademark production elements.  It wasn’t public knowledge that Jon B. wrote and produced the majority of the songs on his debut release. Cool Relax revealed the production and writing talents of Jon B. and established him as an artist to be reckoned with for years to come. For decades, the R&B genre has been dominated by African-American artists, but Jon B. became one of the few White artists to succeed and have staying power with a predominantly Black listening audience.  Alongside the production talents of producers, Tim & Bob, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Marc Nelson, Babyface and Diane Warren he crafted a distinct sound, which ultimately led to the highest selling album of his career. A native of Pasadena California, Jon B. grew up in a musical household. Both of his parents were music teachers and his siblings were also musicians. At the tender age of five, he began learning how to play the piano and gradually moving toward keyboard, drums and bass guitar. By the age of nine he wrote his first full composition. As a teenager, he sold his first album during lunchtime at his middle and once he attended high school he started his own rock band with neighborhood friends, called The Switch. This is where Buck started to gain a following and continued to hone his skills as a songwriter. His big break would occur in 1992 when Tracey Edmonds, then President and CEO of Yab-Yum Records, heard his demo and immediately contracted him to write songs for After 7, Gina Thompson, Color Me Badd, Toni Braxton among countless others. Shortly thereafter, he would be signed as an artist to Epic Records and release his solo debut album. Between September 1996-May 1997 the majority of Cool Relax was recorded in DARP Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, AIR Studios in London, England and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds studio in Los Angeles, California. SoulCulture recently sat down with Jonathan “Jon B.” Buck to talk about the album and some of its creative influences.

30 Jan

Posted at 23:54h in Interviews, Music, Return To The Classics
Brown Sugar was released on July 3, 1995 and it became a refreshing reminder of how potent the mixture of Soul and R&B can be on a record. Upon its release, Michael “D'Angelo” Archer had created quite a stir with his song “U Will Know” performed by Black Men United, from the Jason's Lyric movie soundtrack from the previous year. The song featured 40 R&B artists and groups who were among the most promising and current talent from the genre. At a time where female and male groups were dominating the charts, D'Angelo arrived on the scene with a quintessential, vintage sound that was reminiscent of popular Soul and R&B singers from the 1970s and early 1980s Prince. His debut album was trans-formative in regards to his production and recording methods. It helped to ignite the genre now known as Neo-Soul and create a new wave of Soul singers for the ladder half of the 1990s. D'Angelo produced, arranged and wrote every song on the album, which made him abnormal among his contemporaries of the time period. He ultimately became one of the more iconic figures in the R&B and Soul scene of the mid to late 1990s and set in motion a rebirth of authentic Soul music. Like most R&B singers, D'Angelo's musical foundation was built in the gospel tradition. At the tender age of 5, he was playing the piano inside of his father's church in Richmond, VA. From the ages of 5 to 15, he played the piano and organ in his father's church and from 15 until he was signed to his recording contract in 1993, he served as the musical director for his grandfather's church. After winning the Apollo Amateur Night three times in a row in 1991, he dropped out of school to pursue a full-time career in music. For the next few years, he split time between New York City and Richmond, VA honing his craft as a songwriter and musician to begin producing his debut album. His record “U Will Know” eventually led him to sign a publishing deal with EMI Music in 1993 and here is where his story begins. Between the years of 1990-1994, the majority of Brown Sugar was recorded in Richmond, VA, Battery Studios and RPM Studios in New York, New York and Pookie Lab in Sacramento, California. Soul Culture recently sat down with Luther Archer, the brother of D'Angelo and co-writer of two songs on D'Angelo's debut album, Brown Sugar to talk about the influences behind the album and what made it become a success.