This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Super producers Jake One and Malay contributed as well.

All The Way Slow

This song originated in REASON.  I really like that version.  I will include it in this post.  The album track was produced by Vitamin D.  He programmed the drums and chose all the textures.  The Yamaha MOTIF and microKORG were in heavy usage here.  We stayed up until the sun was peaking through turning knobs and having fun with the microKORG.  I have bequeathed that keyboard to Vitamin D.  I and guest vocalist/arranger Topspin arranged vocals here.  Choklate laid the sweetness under the bridge in like 25 minutes.  I called to schedule her to come in and she said "I’m at the bank right now-I’ll be there in 10 minutes."  Voila!  Malay doubled my keys bass line as well as did the guitar work.  My REASON version of this song is very solitary, sexy and dreamy.  The hard hitting is not my forte so I call in help for that.  I’m more of a finesse guy.  The whole song is A-7  Gmaj7   Fmaj7#11   Emaj7  E7b9.  Bridge and all.  Although I come from a gospel music to jazz piano background I try and use fewer changes.  I have been most inspired by Prince and Stevie Wonder.  Stevie’s songs are very melodic and seemingly simple until you go to play them.  You may be stuck for a while trying to figure out his changes.  Prince’s songs sound very involved with lots of stuff going on and then you go to the piano to play it and it is very simple.  I guess I am taken by how much he could do with so little.  I am no stranger to a lot of hard chord changes.  Hell I was in Kevin Nortness’s ensemble.  (inside joke:amazing musician)  I am curious how one can come up with a musical idea that is 2-4 bars long that repeats incessantly and after 5 min you are not begging them to turn it off.  I was definitely intrigued by that after receiving my jazz piano degree.

This song is where the rare coincision of fun and introspective occur.  People really like this one.  I was offered $40 as a tip during a live performance at The Sorrento Hotel to play the song again.  Back to back.  I can’t say that about any other song I’ve ever performed.  Great song to kick back to and take it All The Way Slow.

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This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Jake One and Malay contributed as well.

‘Why Fight’ from Cant Get Enough

This song was done in REASON.

Started by me and finished by Donyea Goodman all in the same session.  Vitamin D, Donyea and I were in Bubba’s old studio for the day.  It is difficult to get us all in one place for an extended period of time.  At a specific time on the session Donyea had to leave to do some thing at church.  I believe Vitamin was still there and was editing some live drums that Donyea played, for samples.  While he was doing that I came up with this little ditty.  Basically the changes are Abmaj7-G7alt-Gbmaj7-F7(b13)-Bbmin7-Eb11.  Fun stuff.  We need to work up a live version of this one too…. my god.  Donyea wrote the changes to the bridge but it’s still like I did because he just knows what I’m thinking.  Love him. G-7b5-C7alt-F-7-Bb7.  The signature Donyea part is how he takes the whole song up a half step without you hardly noticing.  That is a skill I don’t have…yet.

This is a song inspired by the beginning of an amazing relationship.  Tentative because of weird circumstances yet the connection, irresistible, undeniable, electric.  The period of a year and a half that followed I was the most fulfilled in a relationship than I had ever been.  We do however fall from heights.  (Ahem!)  Yet I know many people never get to truthfully say those words.   I was feeling the let’s just go ahead.  There is also a line in a movie (the title of which escapes me) where a guy is trying to explain to his crush how she makes him feel.  He said (paraphrase) "You make me want to run around in a field."  Ah inspiration.  I know the feeling.  So I run around in circles in similar fashion.  I am not even sure if I have a pre-Donyea version.  It was all one and the same session.  He came into the room while I was making it.  Chris Littlefield played live flugelhorn later to make it extra saucy like he does.  In postproduction Vitamin D and I added some synth parts to the end.  Voila.  Let me see what kind of audio if any I can dig up on this one.  This was originally titled "In Bubbas House".  That’s where we were.

Lyrics

My life is shining when I speak your name.

You and the word lovely are just one and the same

I know your love could save me if you’d just lead the way.

I wonder why you hesitate…

Why fight

When love feels this way

Let’s make our move

And be unafraid.

I wanna show you what I’m made of with you in my life

All I wanna do is hug and squeeze you every night

I’m using all my powers to make everything right

So we can be free, fly away on love energy.

Chorus

I’ve never belonged to someone like I belong to you.

I’m so excited I don’t know what to do.

I could run around in circles with this new energy.

No, no let’s not fight it…let’s not fight it baby.

I know the future is uncertain you just want to be sure

Oh we may never tell the future oh but my intentions are pure.

Here is the link for the Album

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This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Jake One and Malay contributed as well.

Wild In Me

Vitamin D gave me this track to write to.  This is the only track on the record that I didn’t compose.  Vitamin D did this track on the Yamaha MOTIF.  I wasn’t even present when he did it.  Maybe I can get an interview with him on this blog regarding his adventures while making it.  Hmm…I can do that with all of these huh? There is some awesome energy on this track.  Donyea arranged the background vocals at his studio.  As I remember that chorus was challenging to arrange.  Choklate and me tried and…either gave up or we just got busy.  Maybe a little of both.   I don’t even remember what got me over Donyea’s house to record scratch vocals on an SM58.  This was the most challenging part of the song.  There was some doubling and tripling that I had to do that wasn’t really connected to the time.  Fun though since we pulled it off.  We re-recorded all the vocals at Vitamin D’s Pharmacy on the Neumann U87.  The album almost got named after this track.  I like that I got to explore a rich range of my voice that I don’t explore enough.   The end sequence has some head voice action of mine that I cannot seem to duplicate.  Very rich and soulful.  I usually battle my head voice being thin but not here.  I don’t know what I did.  Maybe I do but…ahem.  Generally the changes revolve around C#-11 and B11.  Very appropriate for this album as I did a lot of work with one-step interval chord progressions.  A link I just made right now.  I didn’t even choose the track because of that but…go figure.   The bridge…the horns.  I think we got the trombone in there by luck.  We recorded the horns at Steve Scalfati’s IQ Beats studio.  When I arrived.  A session that included a trombone player had just finished.  I didn’t even know the guy.  He stayed on to do Wild In Me.  AMAZING!  I will get his name.  I knew it a while ago but I have forgotten.  I haven’t seen him since.  Eek.    Chris Littlefield played trumpet…per usual.   Donyea engineered both the scratch vocal session and the final vocal sessions.  Doing so had him produce a remix.  The remix will be included in this blog.  The dude is stupid.  He did the remix on a KORG Triton Studio and Nuendo in about 3 hours.  Silly guy.  His remix is what we perform live.  I totally love the rugged feel of the album track.  It is the epitome of Sweet Urban Soul.  No prisoners production supporting lilting vocals.  Very sexy to me.  I had no idea it would turn out so good.  The lyrics were inspired by an extra-physical experience that totally blew open my senses.  Anyways…party on.

LYRICS

You bring out the wild in me.

Ooo you’ve got me feeling everything.

No more pretense of control

I’m open down to my soul

Itchin’ now what do I do?

All my desires that were secret

Now are open to me

What have you got me into.

Hot it’s so hot because of you.

You’ve broken in and stole my heart.

I’ve got to tell you I’m so grateful honey.

These lights are giving me the highest charge.

Let’s get into all that I’m diggin’

You bring out the wild in me.

You got me feeling everything.

You bring out the wild in me

You got me feeling

I don’t ever want to get over being open.

I’ve happily lost my mind.

Floating on this psychedelical haze.

We’re having such a good time.

Ooo with just a touch and I’m yours.

You’ve got me feeling like I do.

Touching all my dreams, my dreams come true.

Living in the moment so alive.

Living unafraid I love this high.

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This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Jake One and Malay contributed as well.

Here is the song for you

Can’t Get Enough nudrums 2008(remix)

The title track!!!  This one did get it’s start in Propellerheads REASON once again.  I was just playing with some drums.  They were different I let it sit for a while.  I remember coming home late with my then girlfriend after having a wonderful time.  I was in a great mood and began to lay down a bass line.  Two bars of Ab and two bars of Gb.  The recorded version is a step down.  Gb to E.  I put chords to it almost as a joke.  Laughing the whole time.  AbMajor7 and Gb11.  As soon as I heard it I had a new favorite song.

This song makes me feel good.  It is a rejoicing, celebratory song.  The lyrics were written days apart from the “Hold On To You” lyrics and at the same time of day.  Not all of the lyrics but the direction of the song definitely emerged between 2-4pm on a weekday.  I was thankful to be in what was then a caring relationship that made sense.  My versions of this song will be available to listen to hopefully along the bottom of this post.  Very stripped down.  As i;ve said before I think in trio a lot.  My first album was essentially a trio album.  Me, Allen Hunter (then Allen Matthews) and Marvin Shields.  Keys drums and bass respectively.  I did a remix of my REASON track of “Can’t Get Enough” which will be included in this post with luck.

Donyea did the album version in REASON also.  I love the way he tried to stay true to what I had put down bass line wise.  He really took it to the Nth degree.  Very rich tapestry of rhodes, wurly, strings and leads.  The bridge got its last bar tricked out with a major 7 descending sequence.  There are a lot of gospel musicians that make incredible music that breaks rules or that don’t follow music theory rules.  Donyea is one that thinks outside the box….way outside but to me it still makes sense theoretically.  It makes perfect sense yet I would never have put it together the way he did.  I wish!!  That is why I call him Music Superman.  He presented the track to me last among “Hold On To You” and “Promise Me Love”.   (Side note:His first version of “Promise Me Love” is very different from the album version.  I will see if I can dig it up and include it in the “Promise Me Love” blog.)

Vitamin D did the mix at Woodshed Studios.  The vocals were recorded at The Pharmacy.  Both Choklate and I arranged the vocals.  Very fun session.  It is funny how art changes overtime.  I don’t sing it the way it was recorded anymore.  It has lead me to think that I should perform my songs more before I record them.

“Can’t Get Enough” was nominated for Best R&B Single 2008 in the Los Angeles Music Awards.  The rest of the album hadn’t even been completed.  Some post production editing was done by producer/engineer Bubba Jones for ContactCreate Studios.  This is one of my favorite songs of all the songs I have written.  Enjoy.

You got me running, got me jumping

Trust me baby this is something

So incredible.

I can feel it, I can taste it

This time I’m not going to waste it

Best believe it girl.

I’ve been wanting so much more,

And you, you give me so much more.

I’m unrecognizable,

But I’m more me, more me than I’ve ever been before.

Chorus

I can’t believe it

I love you so much

And since this started

I Can’t Get Enough

I’m so excited

I long for your touch

And since this started

I Can’t Get Enough

You got me giddy, I keep grinning,

And it’s only the beginning

Who’d have ever known?

Who am I, and who are you

I’m so alive and so brand new

My mind is so damn blown.

I’ve been wanting so much more

And you, you give me so much more.

I’m unrecognizable

But I’m more me more me than I’ve ever been before.

Chorus

All the hurt I hope to destroy.

Making room for all this joy.

Who said love had to be believable

To be real

So real, so real

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This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Jake One and Malay contributed as well.

Whatchagonnado

Ah the first one of these songs not to have been conceived on REASON. I first put this together on my trusty work horse the KORG Triton. The original one. Still alive and kicking it. It has long since paid for itself. Most of the production work is Donyea Goodman’s work on REASON. (Oooo endorsement please!!!) Under the suggestion of Vitamin D we added some other synth textures and the pulsing piano. Donyea Goodman and I arranged the vocals. In fact the vocals were recorded in his studio. About the only set of vocals for the album that was not recorded at Vitamin D’s studio. We meant to get live horns on the end but never got around to it. Donyea has a way of making everything sound live so we didn’t lose. Maybe I can get a live arrangement written out for a live performance. The chorus part of this song was conceived as an improvised lyric in the summer my band played at The Paragon. I remember Dvonne Lewis was playing drums that night. That is about all I remember about that night. To be truthful I am not sure what these lyrics are in reference to. Usually there is an autobiographical nature to my lyrics. If I had to make a guess these lyrics were about a hot and rocky relationship. LOL! The music was written circa 2005. When I still lived on 23rd and Madison. Db11 to Eb Major 7. After recording this song I remember looking at my notes at some of the verses that didn’t make it on the recording and found one that I wished I had recorded. : ( Below are the recorded lyrics. Below them is the set of lyrics trhat I wish I had recorded. At the time it just seemed to be too much.

Verse
I’m so super charged
By your energy.
Tell me who you are
And why you happened to me.

I look in your eyes,
Is it the future I see?
Oh let there be no surprise,
Why I’m wondering…

Chorus
Lead:Tell me whatcha gon’ do…do with my love?
You’ve got to tell me the truth. Whatchagonnado with my love?

Background: Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado?
Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado?

Verse
I could not erase these feelings for you
What would take their place?
I haven’t a clue.

I just wanna go,
Deeper into this journey
I wanna open your soul.
The way that you’ve opened me?

Chorus

I’m waiting for an answer from you
I need to know please tell me.
Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado?

I’m waiting for an answer from you
I need to know please tell me.
Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado, Whatchagonnado?

Brilliant Verse That Didn’t Get Recorded
The universe is alive
Since you sent love my way
What a delicious surprise…
I’m having everyday.

How much of it’s me
How much of it’s you
How much of it is God.
Revealing to us the truth?

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This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Jake One and Malay contributed as well.

Get It On

Listen to my Songs Here:

So Cool!

So Cool!1(arr1)

(pat is) So Cool!

Actually this was one of my first creations using REASON. It was also the very first song produced for “Can’t Get Enough”. It took almost exactly one year to make. Hilarious. Busy schedules and little or no budget was the culprit. It was also one of the first times Vitamin D ran a production of mostly live musicians. The only thing programmed are the drums. The rest are live musicians. We had a good time making this one and vowed for it never to take a year to complete one song. While I wrote the song, (chords, lyrics and melody) this is solely a Vitamin D production. I guess I can take some production credit as I chose the live players. Horn players Steve Scalfati, and Chris Littlefield, bassist Gerald Turner, guitarist Herman Brown (Vitamin D’s dad) and I played atop the programmed drums. Emily McIntosh (she just got married so she might have a different last name) arranged all the background vocals. I started arranging them then I realized that I was just recording what Emily had made up in a rehearsal so I called her to just do the damn thing. We really need to get her to do more songs like this. I am curious what it would sound like with her doing the lead vocals. There we go again. I think I like to view the songs (maybe more than songs) from many viewpoints. Divergent…. I think we are getting on top of this audio in blogs thing so….stay tuned.

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This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Jake One and Malay contributed as well.

Promise Me Love
This song was originally inspired by Rahsaan Patterson’s “You’re The Only One For Me”. I did the first mock up of it on Reason and Donyea Goodman did the album version of it on there too. I watched him do it in 2-3 hours. He had the sounds already picked. Played through each instrument live over the whole track. Vitamin D in mix down put the wurly through a tube amp and mic’d it. He also made the snare more splashy. That’s how I’d describe it. As I recall my snare on my Reason version was crunchy. LOL!! This track took the longest to get final words. I’m not sure if I have mentioned this but unless the words come all at once with the music (unusual but always good) I write multiple lyric versions until the song emerges. I have forgotten the words most often while performing this tune. A refreshing look at love trepidation akin to “Whatchagonnado” which we will cover later. It’s biographical but not about one event or relationship. It got written over a long span of time so…. I really like the changes. Just before mix I added some extra vocals in Knock On Wood Studios. It lifted the song. Vitamin D hears things. If I can figure out how to make audio available through this blog I will share my early versions of these songs.   Stay Tuned.

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This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Jake One and Malay contributed as well.

Hold On To You – Donyea’s

Hold On To You

I did the first version of this on REASON. Real simple, just keys, bass and drums. I think in trio a lot. The rest of the details come later or are the job of a producer. Funny he did the album version on REASON as well. Donyea Goodman has an uncanny knack for the little details instrumentally and arrangement wise. That’s why he is my go to guy for making my songs into productions. He was trying to stay true to what I gave him and fill in a gang of blanks I left. His version is not a radical departure from what I gave him. It is a radical building on what I gave him. He never ceases to amaze. There is an instrumental break in both versions on the album. I think we meant for there to be a piano solo in each or one of them. We opted for adding more vocals for sake of moving into the mix phase faster given we had a mix date booked and no way to get a hold of a great recording opportunity for a real piano in 24hrs. Lyrically this is one of my most favorite songs to date. The music came first years ago. I wonder if I have my notes to this one but I know the “Without you my heart would be broken so I’ll Hold On To You” was the break that got the whole rest of the song written. I remember it was a period when some of my best writing was happening between 2pm and 4pm. It was a short period of time but I definitely noticed. The idea for “Can’t Get Enough” got finalized in that same period. Hmm. Weird how things work sometime. There are no other songs I’ve ever written that I can pinpoint to a time of day.

It was Vitamin D’s idea to record vocals in the break and I believe Choklate edited the vocals. FUN!! This song is about how hard it is to stay together. People go through stuff and don’t have words, are afraid to talk it out or are reluctant to face the truth. Upon hindsight when I wrote this song it was me not wanting to face the truth regarding the relationship I was in. Since then this song has come to mean more than what I originally was writing about. I like that about my songs. (even art in general) What it means to you changes over time and over your changing perceptions about your life and life in general. Here is the version of “Hold On To You” that I gave Donyea. I struggled with titling the song “Broken”. Some were disappointed that I went with “Hold On To You”. It was just repeated too much in the song for me not to call it that. The underlying truth though may have lent itself to having the song being called “Broken”. Lyrics like that only come with the perception that something is broken that you would like to fix. Ah fixing things….

Hold On To You

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