Mood: Introspective, Optimistic, Xcited!!!
Music: Judith Hill "Angel In The Dark" Back In Time CD
3 Weeks Ago I Asked Myself On My 60th Birthday What Took Me So Long 2 Drop A CD Project I Shudda Dropped 20-30 Years Ago??? I Like 2 Say Maybe Bcuz I Was Playing In Cover Bands & We NEVER Took The Tyme 2 Work On Original Material Since We Knew Folks Needed 2 & Wanted 2 Hear The Songs They Know & Love!!!
However On
The Real…, Maybe Deep Down On The Inside…, The Real Reason I DID NOT Release My Own Project Was Bcuz
I Didn’t Feel It Was Good Enuff, I Couldn’t Sing Well Enuff, Or The Production
Wouldn’t Be Up 2 Snuff??? Not 2 Mention
As Ms. Erykah Badu Stated “I Am An
Artist & I’m Sensitive About My Ish!!!” Most Of Us Artistic Types Have That Inner Insecurity We Feel When We Release Our Work Out Into The Cold,
Cruel, Cynical World Which DOES NOT Alwayz Appreciate All The Blood, Sweat, Heart, Soul, Sacrifice, Heartache,
& Tears U Poured Into UR Effort?!?
However In
Spite Of All Those Things Over The Years I NEVER
Stopped Working On Honing My Own Original Music.
This Project Clearly Shows Me On My Prince
Ish As Every Single Song Was Written,
Composed, Arranged, Performed, Produced, & Engineered By Me (very much like he would do)!!! The Lone Xception Is Track 1 Detailed
Below!!!
Track 1 "The
King Iz Here” Was Written Waaaaayyyy
Back When!!! That’s My Son’s Voice When
He Was Like 7 Years Old!!! He’s In His 30’s Now!!! I Alwayz Told
Him He Was DESTINED 2 Be A Musician Cause I Got Him Involved In Da Game Early
& He Took It 2 A Whole ‘Notha Level.
I Sampled My Voice, I Sampled His Voice, & I Flew Them Strategically In & Out The Groove As Needed!!! I Wanted This Song 2 Project How He Was A
King..., Bcuz He Came From A King (ME)..., & We’re Heir 2 The Throne From A Long Line
O’ Kings!!! That’s Why I Have Those
Soaring Horn Lines Playing That REGAL REFRAIN!!!
There Iz A
Simple Rumbling Bass Line, A Snare Drum & Handclap That Fade In & Out
With XTRA Heavy Reverb On Them 2 Create More Space In The Mixxx Letting It
Breathe!!! The Drum Groove Iz Actually A
Sample Of Me Playing A Swing Beat On My Old Yamaha Kit (i have a Gretsch kit now) Live. I Recorded Myself Playing, Chopped It Up In
Da Mixxx, & I JUST LOVED THAT GROOVE!!!
Track 2 “I’m Lonely (All That I Need)” Is The Newest Song In The Collection
& W/O Trying 2 Be A Biased…, It May Be My Fave Song On The Project 4 All
The Things It Took 4 Me 2 Put It 2getha!!! It Tells The Story Of A Man In Love Who Simply
CANNOT
Get His Lady 2 Open Up & Change Her Ways As He Wants 2 Revolutionize Her
Life!!! He Tried, He Failed, He's Lonely..., So He’s
Gonna Cut His Losses & It’s On 2 The Da Next 1!!!
The Bassline
Is The Glue That Holds It 2getha Whilst The Strings Soar Across The
Chorus. My Signature Synth Stabs Create
FWD Motion As It Rides On Top Of The Drum Track. Don’t Zzzlp On The Slinky Rhodes Piano That I
Sprinkle In Here & There 4 Melodic FX!!!
Not 2 Mention As Someone Who Truly DOES NOT Consider Himself A Vocalist…, I Like The
Way My Voice Sounds On This Track!!!
Tell Luther Vandross 2 LQQKOUT Cause
I’m Coming 4 Him!!! YEAH RIGHT!!! ROFLMAO!!!
Track 3 “The Melancholy Way” Iz A Trippy Beatle-esque Type Song That DOES NOT
Follow The Traditional R&B Funk Genre. It Slips & Slides Along With A Loopy Kind
Of Groove As It Tells A Story Of Unwavering Love!!! I Tried 2 Figure Out What Gives It That
Ethereal FX??? I Think It’s The Fact
That The Strings Play Consistently Through The Whole Track As A Sound That Creeps
Into Your Ear Drum W/O U Really Paying Attention 2 It!!! Then When That 2nd Kick Drum Comes
Thumping Along In The Chorus U Feel It Deeper In UR Chest As It Helps Center UR
Point O’ Groove.
The More I
Listen 2 The Wordz & Get Lost In The Message I Realized I Wrote This Song
About My Own Marriage. I Had 2 Replay
The Events In My Mind As Subconsciously I Slid In & Out Of That Space 2
Detail The Journey. & 2 Think She Said I
Never Wrote A Song About Her??? & Quite A Kewl Tune 1 Might I Add Too?!? LOL!!!
Track 4 “Mystery Lady” Iz A Deep Song Of Infidelity Told Over A Hypnotic Groove,
A Throbbing Base Line, & A Syncopated Drum Beat!!! When I Say Deep…, I Mean DEEP As In LOW END!!!
The Bass Drums & The Bassline Itself Are Damn Near Sub-Sonic 2 Make
Sure U Know UR Being Submerged Into A Taboo Space!!!
By Using A
Marimba As A Leading Musical Tone It Moves The Sound Into A Place We’re Not Used 2
Normally Hearing It In. I Think That
Gives Another Slick Appeal 2 It!!! The
Lyrics Are Spoken During The Verses & Sung During The Chorus ala Ms.
Me’Shell N’degeocello. All I Can Say
About This From A Real World Place Is…, A-Hem…, “She Knows Who (SHE)…, Or Should
I Say…, (THEY) Know Who They Are???”
HMMMMM?!? A True Gentleman Kisses…, But NEVER EVER Tells!!! ROFLMAO!!!
Track 5 “Long Distance Lover” Iz That Classic Tale About Tryin’ 2 Love
Someone Deeply & Completely From Afar!!!
This Was A Tale Woven 2 Me By A Neighbor Who Used 2 Live Across The
Street. I Weaved Her Story Into Tangible Lyrics & Wrapped The Music
Around It With Some TLC!!!
It Has That
Late 80’s Early 90’s Drum Machine BOOM-BAP
2 It Complete With Heavy Handed Hand Claps & Those Agogo Bells 2 Give It
That Herky Jerky Motion!!! This Was
Probably The Very 1st Tyme I Truly Tried 2 Sing A Song As A Lead
Singer So Give Me 7% Credit 4
Stepping Out Front!!! LOL!!!
My Pride
& Joy On This Track Iz The Out Of Phase Honky Tonk Piano Solo I Play In The
Bridge That Makes Me Smile Everytime I Hear It!!! Yeah I’m DEFINITELY
Un-Conventional!!! The 2nd
Additional Performer On My Project Is Dr. KBJ Doing The Woman’s Voice U Hear In
The Breakdown & At The Very End!!! THATZ IT!!!
Track 6 “We Have That Kind O’ Love” Iz Like Prince’s Purple Rain Movie As
Itz The Closest Thing U Get To An Autobiographical Account Of The Bro J!!! I Laid The Music Down & Then The Words
Flowed Down 2 Me Like Manna Flowing Down From Heaven As They Got More Cohesive By The
Minute!!! By The Time I LQQKED Up…, Like The Notorious BIG
Said, “I Gotta Story 2 Tell!!!”
I CANNOT
Confirm Nor Deny Their Actual Factual Accountability…, But If’n U Know Me…, U Can
Connect The Dots!!! This Track Iz Quite
Bizzy With A Harpsichord Sound, Some Percussive Synth Patches, & Xspecially
When I Get 2 The Double Call-N-Refrain Chorus Near The End!!! In
Hindsight A Better Mixxx Would Smooth Things Out Just A Lil’ Bit…, But I’m Kewl
With The Finished Product!!!
Track 7 “Mo’ Flowww” Iz A SCORCHING Instrumental Track!!! As A Musician 1st & A Lyricist
2nd…, The MUZAK Iz Alwayz Important 2 Me!!! Wordz Are Added 4 That Necessary FX!!! I’ve Alwayz Said My Dream Gig Would Be As The
Drummer In An Instrumental Fusion Jazz Band!!!
I Know The General Public Needs Them Lyrics…, But There’s A Lil’ Sumthin’ Sumthin’ 2 Be Said 4 A HELLACIOUS GROOVE!!!
Stay With Me
On This Song ‘Til The End As You Hear The Various Instruments Trade Off On Some
Syncopated Riffs!!! The Bass Line Keeps
The Bottom 2getha & Those Quirky Electronic Sounds I Love Spit In & Out
Delivering Just Enuff ‘Tricity 2 Keep U Plugged In!!!
Between My
Xtended Intros, Unformulatic Song Structure, & Out The Box Production
Techniques I Will NEVER Be A
Mainstream Type Artist…, UR Just Gonna Have 2 Take The Adventure With Me &
Join Me If U Dare!!!
I Feel At
This Point In My Life These 7 Songs
Represent Me As A Solo Artist In A Way That Truly Speaks From My Inner
Core!!! I’m Working On My Next Batch Of
Songs 2 Get Ready. I May Share Some Space With Other Collaborators I’ve
Worked With As Muzak Has Alwayz Had That Ability 2 Connect Folks Of Differing
Abilities & Styles Across A Medium Where We Can All Bring Our Authentic Selves
2 Da Mixxx!!!
Please “WEAR THIS PROJECT OUT” Peep The
Included Links 2 Check It Out On The Platform Of UR Choice!!! Then Stay Tuned As My Next Selection Will
Arrive No Later Than Mid 2021!!! I’m NJoying This Chance 2 Go Deeper Down The
Rabbit Hole Into The Sub-Conscious O’ My Mind As I Re-Discover My Own Voice Of
Just WHO I BE!?! GAWD HELP US ALL!!! LMAO!!!
https://distrokid.com/
hyperfollow/thebrotheraj/ introducing-the-brother-aj-7
https://open.spotify.com/album/2ytlDGhEyZKXpDCOOInIPJ
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PVYHRXY
https://music.apple.com/us/album/introducing-the-brother-aj-7/1543846650?uo=4&app=itunes
https://music.apple.com/us/album/introducing-the-brother-aj-7/1543846650?uo=4&app=apple+music
The Brother AJ
