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How does one bend tradition without
making it break?
How can you travel through space without leaving
home?
How can a multi-platinum artist, after only two
albums, turn his third into an exploration of
futuristic funk without forgetting his roots in
homegrown soul and old school hip hop?
Singer/songwriter Musiq has the answers
to those questions on SOULSTAR; a collection of
fifteen memorable moments of soul.
Recording as usual, in his hometown
of Philadelphia, Musiq with his writing partner
Carvin Haggins and his producer Ivan Barias, the
trio known as Car Mu I, have gone so far beyond
the tag "neo-soul" on SOULSTAR, you
almost forget their previous collaborations, 2000's
Aijuswanaseing and 2002's Juslisen defined that
genre.
Musiq’s desire to make his
vision known gave Aijuswanaseing and honest quality.
For Juslisen, Musiq learned the value of teamwork;
how to jump start even the smokiest, subtle groove.
"I allowed other people's ideas to filter
through more, to let other people's talent shine
on".
Those albums, influenced by Musiq’s
heroes, Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, are
benchmarks of modern soul based. But on SOULSTAR,
Musiq has added new colors to his palette of inspiration
- James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Sly Stone - while
maintaining a style uniquely his own, finding
even newer nuances throughout.
"With the changes on SOULSTAR,
I'm trying to warm people to the idea that there's
more to me than whatever "neo soul"
is", says Musiq, letting audiences of all
stripes know there’s life beyond R&B
and beyond Philly. SOULSTAR is a mix of his two
previous albums, with a new creativity that sees
the Musiq sound soaring into the future.
"I'm not necessarily going in
a different direction than the last two records”
says Musiq, of the retro-fit R&B of Aijuswanaseing
and Juslisen. "I'm just going about things
in a different way. It's the same road. I'm just
in a newer car."
SOULSTAR had its start after a long
bout of touring, giving the album a well rounded,
worldly and honest outlook.
The first song written was the game-playing
analogy of "Womanopoly". "Yeah,
that's Carvin", laughs Musiq of his partner's
wordplay; a story about an unhappy, ambitious
girl moving up to Park Place to snag her share
of the Community Chest.
Musiq expands his sound with his
cover of the Rolling Stones' "missyou,”
"Performing and recording that song took
me to not anger or sadness, but the space in between."
In between SOULSTAR’s new ideas
is an old soul - Musiq’s voice; the very
thing that made him a legend before he hit 25.
The growth that signaled new ways of writing and
production on SOULSTAR is clearly apparent on
reasons. Musiq approaches "reasons"
with the same blunt clarity, a song dedicated
to music itself - the healing life force that's
guided him when he's needed light, saved him when
he's needed salvation, embraced him when no one
else could. "It's my ode, my thank you to
what music's meant to me."
Yet another highlight of SOULSTAR
is "whoknows." The explosive ballad
reveals an artist experimenting with his love
of sound. Musiq embraces questions of uncertainty
and vulnerability that come with new relationships.
For fans of Aijuswanaseing
and Juslisen, Musiq wants them to know he's the
same guy from a town filled with musical history,
looking to maintain that heritage while stretching
as an artist. "And for people who never heard
my last two records, SOULSTAR is a journey into
sound that’s familiar and freaky. “SOULSTAR
is an ode to those that came before me,"
says Musiq. “I strive to grow into the name
‘Soulchild’ every day. Both ‘Soulchild’
and ‘Soulstar’ are names to live up
to, that carry a responsibility. I hope that I
can help pave the road for another generation
the way that past ‘soulstars’ have
opened doors for me.”
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