Post by Emerald City on Feb 24, 2005 19:04:55 GMT -5
A new school motowner
Brian McKnight has managed to do something unheard of in today's MTV-obsessed, cookie-cutter music world.
Two weeks ago his eighth album, "Gemini," debuted at No. 2 on the R&B charts and sold more than 100,000 copies its first week — without the cushion of a music video.
Already producing two silky-smooth hits, "Every Time You Go Away" and the Grammy-nominated "What We Do Here," McKnight has come back strong — and a little randy — after a two-year hiatus.
"Gemini" is a mix of elegant soul and at times downright nasty lyrics, reconciling the duality between McKnight's God-fearing and freshly-divorced-bachelor-on-the-rebound selves.
Now 36, with more than 16 million albums sold in his decade-plus career, McKnight spoke with The Associated Press via cell phone from Los Angeles about love, longevity and lust:
AP: From one Gemini to another, I just know there's a deeper reason for your album title besides the fact that you were born on June 5.
McKnight: That was the first reason. The second reason is because instead of running away from it like most Gemini men do, what I decided to do was embrace it, and to let my evil twin out of the basement to write some of the songs.
AP: Are the songs on this album leaning more toward the heart or the groin?
McKnight: It's equal parts of both because as a man you try your best not to have your heart be involved because you're a man, you know, and you're run by your libido. But as you get older, you start to realize that there has to be more to life than just what happens between your legs.
AP: When you started your solo career back in the day, you were really open about being a family man. But as your albums progress, the playboy in you is in the foreground.
McKnight: What I always wanted to do was have acceptance on a musical level first. If I had given everything in the beginning, nine records later, I'd have nowhere to go. So it wasn't a conscious decision to be that way, but I think it was the way to be because now there's still a true story to tell.
AP: What do you attribute your longevity to?
McKnight: The one thing people have come to expect from me is the craftsmanship of a really good song. And at the end of the day, I think that's all that really matters. If you rely on all of that other stuff, what will happen when the video isn't that good?
AP: Was Sisqo's "Thong Song" well-crafted? It was ubiquitous at one point.
McKnight: I think that was a good song because it did what it was supposed to do, it made people get up and want to dance.
Brian McKnight has managed to do something unheard of in today's MTV-obsessed, cookie-cutter music world.
Two weeks ago his eighth album, "Gemini," debuted at No. 2 on the R&B charts and sold more than 100,000 copies its first week — without the cushion of a music video.
Already producing two silky-smooth hits, "Every Time You Go Away" and the Grammy-nominated "What We Do Here," McKnight has come back strong — and a little randy — after a two-year hiatus.
"Gemini" is a mix of elegant soul and at times downright nasty lyrics, reconciling the duality between McKnight's God-fearing and freshly-divorced-bachelor-on-the-rebound selves.
Now 36, with more than 16 million albums sold in his decade-plus career, McKnight spoke with The Associated Press via cell phone from Los Angeles about love, longevity and lust:
AP: From one Gemini to another, I just know there's a deeper reason for your album title besides the fact that you were born on June 5.
McKnight: That was the first reason. The second reason is because instead of running away from it like most Gemini men do, what I decided to do was embrace it, and to let my evil twin out of the basement to write some of the songs.
AP: Are the songs on this album leaning more toward the heart or the groin?
McKnight: It's equal parts of both because as a man you try your best not to have your heart be involved because you're a man, you know, and you're run by your libido. But as you get older, you start to realize that there has to be more to life than just what happens between your legs.
AP: When you started your solo career back in the day, you were really open about being a family man. But as your albums progress, the playboy in you is in the foreground.
McKnight: What I always wanted to do was have acceptance on a musical level first. If I had given everything in the beginning, nine records later, I'd have nowhere to go. So it wasn't a conscious decision to be that way, but I think it was the way to be because now there's still a true story to tell.
AP: What do you attribute your longevity to?
McKnight: The one thing people have come to expect from me is the craftsmanship of a really good song. And at the end of the day, I think that's all that really matters. If you rely on all of that other stuff, what will happen when the video isn't that good?
AP: Was Sisqo's "Thong Song" well-crafted? It was ubiquitous at one point.
McKnight: I think that was a good song because it did what it was supposed to do, it made people get up and want to dance.