Raphael Saadiq |
Raphael Saadiq has dubbed the term "gospeldelic" to match his signature sound. And it's a sound you've gotten a taste of in his previous work as writer-producer behind such stellar hits as Angie Stone's "Brotha" and D'Angelo's "Lady" and the Grammy Award-winning "Untitled," among others.
Although he spent half of 2001 recording his most recent project - a solo effort entitled Instant Vintage - mostly in Sacramento and Oakland but also in his plush new L.A. studio, during that time he also produced tracks for Macy Gray, TLC, the Isley Brothers, Joi, and Kelly Price, to name only a few.
Thanks to the multi-platinum success as co-founder/producer/member of Tony! Toni! Tone! and Lucy Pearl, not to mention the numerous immortal R&B tracks he's produced for others, Saadiq is touted as a pioneer of "neo-soul." But he doesn't feel that phrase really captures what he does. The aformentioned "gospeldelic" is a much truer term.
This sound becomes abundantly clear on the 19-track Instant Vintage. It's a rewardingly complex blend of soul, R&B, hip-hop, funk, rock, jazz, and doo-wop, rich with inventive bass lines, intricate harmonizing, and colorful strings. The songs were written entirely by Saadiq, who produces, sings, and plays numerous instruments, including a little bit of goofy tuba.
Play it, and you might start to wonder just why it took him so long to step out on his own. Saadiq has previously recorded under his own name, as with 1995's "Ask of You," from the Higher Learning soundtrack, and "Me & You" from the Boyz N the Hood soundtrack.
Saadiq's road to success started at the age of six, when he played bass at church, school and community events in his hometown, Oakland, California. At 18, he stepped onto the world stage when he was chosen, out of hundreds of musicians, to play bass for Prince and Sheila E. on their Parade world tour. It was on this tour that Saadiq had the inspiration for what would later become one of the most ground-breaking groups in R&B history, Tony Toni Tonč (formed in the late '80s, the group's five albums have sold over six million records worldwide). In 2000, he formed and produced the supergroup Lucy Pearl (whose gold-certified album was nominated for a Grammy Award, an American Music Award, two Soul Train Awards and two NAACP Awards).
His music has always been more than skin-deep. It's about making people feel, and about building something fresh from what's come before. On Instant Vintage, he employs his talent for drawing from the old school, not just to rehash, but to re-inform the new school with the kind of album such giants as Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and Stevie Wonder made back in the day.
But the solo album also represents his increasing involvement in the business side of music, as the owner of a label (Pookie Records), a production company (Whiskey Slew), and the aforementioned new studio (Blakeslee Recording Company). Not to mention, for the first time he's directed a video for the single "Be Here," a duet with D'Angelo who's also featured in the clip.
Learn more about these and other topics as StarPolish Art Director J Bills sits down with Saadiq and gets inside the mind of such a unique talent. Watch the video clips now!
Credits:
Camera: Tamara Jamieson VideoEditor: Chris Pascarella
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