Hey Soul Mates,
Happy New Year! It's 2007 y'all: the year of the Rush Hour Soul.
As you know we are heading back into the studio to complete our debut album. The disc will feature "A Talent For Loving" and that will also serve as the record's title. So when you see A Talent For Loving, I'm talking about our groove-filled long player.
I can reveal to you that we will be working with Adam Marsland on this disc and I'm very excited about that. Adam has been a great sounding board and supportive source for me for years. We've worked together on stage, you may remember my guest spot with his group at Brennan's on Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman."
A Talent For Loving will be recorded at the same studio where Adam has recorded his albums down in Venice, CA. It just made more sense for us to do the album here before our trek to the UK. But, we promise the vibe of the album will make you dance and holler for joy. I'll fill you in on more details as we get them and as we head to the studio.
Recording will begin in the second week of February, so we are still in pre-production. We've chosen the songs to concentrate on. We are discussing arrangements (strings and horns may appear!). It's tremendously cool to be putting this foot forward. Bryan and Doug and I have been talking about the record and the upcoming tour and we cannot wait to share the music with you!
Apart from recording, here are some fun thoughts. Last night, Bryan brought over his playstation and we shredded through Guitar Hero II. It's a nifty game. Of course, Bryan is already blasting through the solos on all of the songs. I haven't played video games much, ever, but I held my own (on the easier levels) on "Message In A Bottle" & "Killing In The Name." Bryan even tackled the Allman Brothers' "Jessica" on the most difficult level like the rock star he is!
The other night, I finally made it to the movies and saw Dreamgirls. I have always loved Eddie Murphy, but now he's done work to make his fans proud. We know he's funny, but here he got to show off a range from sleazy to tragic with pinpoint accuracy. All those years of "Little Richard Simmons" and "James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub," recording with Michael Jackson and Rick James have paid off as though the part were written for him. Eddie's performance as Jimmy "Early" Thunder is worth the price of admission alone. But wait, there's more. In the shape of Jennifer Hudson. As Effie White, she turns in a movie debut for the ages. This is her movie and her soundtrack. I liked her on American Idol (you know I'm an A.I. junkie), even when her eyes were buggin' out. But she can sang and act! The whole ensemble is fantastic, but Mr. Murphy and Ms. Hudson have turned in career performances.
Wednesday, I sent in my Grammy ballot. That was a fun exercise. As a result, I've grown very fond of a couple of recordings I hadn't paid attention to before. I expect to vote for myself next year. That will be really fun.
New Year's Eve was spent up at Wat Thai. Always gratifying to hang out with the monks and chat. Several of them are very encouraging about the band and want to know what we are up to. And when I've got Buddhist monks telling me that the world needs me to make records, I take them at their word.
I'm off for an hour of strolling at the Huntington Gardens and then I've got to replace the vacuum cleaner. I dismantled my old one down to the drive belts yesterday to no avail. It's still blasting out dust and dirt faster than I can vacuum it. Comedy!
Well, here's to the new year and to success, superior health, love and wisdom for us all. Let's attract peace, prosperity and well-being to ourselves soul mates. Attract us to your town and we'll play our hearts out for you!
Love, Power, Peace
Happy New Year! It's 2007 y'all: the year of the Rush Hour Soul.
As you know we are heading back into the studio to complete our debut album. The disc will feature "A Talent For Loving" and that will also serve as the record's title. So when you see A Talent For Loving, I'm talking about our groove-filled long player.
I can reveal to you that we will be working with Adam Marsland on this disc and I'm very excited about that. Adam has been a great sounding board and supportive source for me for years. We've worked together on stage, you may remember my guest spot with his group at Brennan's on Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman."
A Talent For Loving will be recorded at the same studio where Adam has recorded his albums down in Venice, CA. It just made more sense for us to do the album here before our trek to the UK. But, we promise the vibe of the album will make you dance and holler for joy. I'll fill you in on more details as we get them and as we head to the studio.
Recording will begin in the second week of February, so we are still in pre-production. We've chosen the songs to concentrate on. We are discussing arrangements (strings and horns may appear!). It's tremendously cool to be putting this foot forward. Bryan and Doug and I have been talking about the record and the upcoming tour and we cannot wait to share the music with you!
Apart from recording, here are some fun thoughts. Last night, Bryan brought over his playstation and we shredded through Guitar Hero II. It's a nifty game. Of course, Bryan is already blasting through the solos on all of the songs. I haven't played video games much, ever, but I held my own (on the easier levels) on "Message In A Bottle" & "Killing In The Name." Bryan even tackled the Allman Brothers' "Jessica" on the most difficult level like the rock star he is!
The other night, I finally made it to the movies and saw Dreamgirls. I have always loved Eddie Murphy, but now he's done work to make his fans proud. We know he's funny, but here he got to show off a range from sleazy to tragic with pinpoint accuracy. All those years of "Little Richard Simmons" and "James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub," recording with Michael Jackson and Rick James have paid off as though the part were written for him. Eddie's performance as Jimmy "Early" Thunder is worth the price of admission alone. But wait, there's more. In the shape of Jennifer Hudson. As Effie White, she turns in a movie debut for the ages. This is her movie and her soundtrack. I liked her on American Idol (you know I'm an A.I. junkie), even when her eyes were buggin' out. But she can sang and act! The whole ensemble is fantastic, but Mr. Murphy and Ms. Hudson have turned in career performances.
Wednesday, I sent in my Grammy ballot. That was a fun exercise. As a result, I've grown very fond of a couple of recordings I hadn't paid attention to before. I expect to vote for myself next year. That will be really fun.
New Year's Eve was spent up at Wat Thai. Always gratifying to hang out with the monks and chat. Several of them are very encouraging about the band and want to know what we are up to. And when I've got Buddhist monks telling me that the world needs me to make records, I take them at their word.
I'm off for an hour of strolling at the Huntington Gardens and then I've got to replace the vacuum cleaner. I dismantled my old one down to the drive belts yesterday to no avail. It's still blasting out dust and dirt faster than I can vacuum it. Comedy!
Well, here's to the new year and to success, superior health, love and wisdom for us all. Let's attract peace, prosperity and well-being to ourselves soul mates. Attract us to your town and we'll play our hearts out for you!
Love, Power, Peace
Comments