Raphael Saadiq
Remember the
phrase “Lights, Camera, Action?” Well, the
ever-innovative Raphael Saadiq is about to flip it into
something more like “Bass, Treble, BOOM” when
he drops his second solo album, Raphael Saadiq as Ray Ray,
a project the Grammy-winner promises will bring ghetto
cinematic flair to modern R&B. With a cover concept
inspired by `70s black film classics (Ray Ray dappered down
in vintage vines in front of a `67 white convertible
Cougar), there’s a rumble seat full of fun to go
along with the funk in da trunk.
The first two singles are sure to set the party off right.
First there’s “Rifle Love” (as in
Cupid’s got a AK47 now), a double reunion for Ray Ray
that features his brother D’Wayne Wiggins from the
band that launched him, Tony Toni Tone’, as well as
Dawn Robinson from the second hit-making group that Ray
started, Lucy Pearl. Next up is the infectious “Chic
Like You,” co-penned by former Portrait member
Michael Angelo Saulsberry and introducing Ray’s
nephew, Allie Baba, rapping. “He came in one day
while I was gone and convinced my engineer to let him spit
on the track,” Ray says. “I couldn’t be
mad at him!”
“It's really just all about a feeling,” Saadiq
explains of his sophomore album, which will be released on
his own Pookie Entertainment label . “I want this
album to feel like a movie, only it will tell several
stories. I always try to come with concepts - to keep
myself amused more than anything. It's not about trying to
be deep. I just like to have fun.” As for his
nickname, Saadiq explains, “My mother calls me Ray
Ray. My homies call me Tanqueray. Ray Ray represents the
fun side of Raphael Saadiq.”
Just like a movie, the album opens with the BANG of a sound
effects-laden trailer followed by the introductory
“Ray Ray’s Theme,” featuring Pookie
Entertainment diva, Joi, handling the vocals. Another
future hit will be “Detroit Girl,” a
“steppers” groove that radio and clubs
can’t resist. “This One” will have every
honey in Texas claiming she’s that one, while girls
around the globe will claim the bubbly “Live Without
You” and the mesmerizing “I Love Her.”
Sample lyric: “When I open my eyes, you are all I see
/ Wanna hold you, kiss you and wash your feet.”
And what would a Raphael ride be like without a back-up
Caddy of top notch guests? Female newcomer Teedra Moses
co-wrote two bangers with Raphael titled “Chic Like
You” (‘cuz it sounds like the `70s dance
masters) and the acoustic-techno shake “I Want You
Back” (dig Raphael’s killin’ bass playing
on this). Teedra sounded so good on the demos that he kept
her on both tracks. And old friend Babyface drops in for
the cautionary bumper “Not A Game.” Sample
lyric: “I can’t lie, I want this to work / Do
you think that men don’t hurt?”
The project comes to a thought-provoking,
“Gospeldelic” close with two prayers: a
finger-poppin’ one that sounds like Curtis Mayfield
groovin’ over a Spinners track titled “Grown
Folks.” Sample lyric: “We all have
responsibilities / Spending hundreds on throwbacks / Man,
there’s kids to feed.” It’s followed by
the Stevie-on-the-front-porch-at-sunset meditation
“Save Us” (so apropos as America creeps toward
Election 2004). “Musically, I pull from
everybody,” he exclaims. “I don’t worry
about it, tough. Once the production is 100% done, it will
end up sounding like me anyway.”
Sharing a bit of his personal philosophy of living, Saadiq
reminds us, “The Bible says ‘What good is it
that a man gain the world yet lose his soul.’ I try
to keep that in mind because in this business so much is
given to you. People make you feel like the highest of high
and you're not even close. I do what I can to stay
grounded, have fun yet really connect with the people
– from Crenshaw Blvd. (Los Angeles’ famed
African American strip) to around the world.”
Raphael Saadiq (born Charlie Ray Wiggins in Oakland,
California) has made an enviable name for himself as a
recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, writer and
producer. It all began with the band he co-founded, Tony
Toni Tone’, with whom he sang lead on the
chart-topping hits “Feels Good,” “It
Never Rains In Southern California,”
“Anniversary” and “Let’s Get
Down,” among others. His resume is also filled with
hits that he’s mined for others, including
D’Angelo (“Lady” and
“Untitled”), Total (“Kissing You”)
and the Grammy®-winning Erykah Badu & Common duet
“Love of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)” from the
film Brown Sugar. Other artists in his astoundingly diverse
cache include Earth Wind & Fire, Jill Scott, Nappy
Roots, Marcus Miller, the Isley Brothers, TLC, Snoop Dogg,
the Bee Gees, Kelis, Mos Def, Whitney Houston, A Tribe
Called Quest and John Mellencamp.
Saadiq has also released two acclaimed albums – the
2002 studio project Instant Vintage that yielded such
thought-provoking hits as “Faithful,” “Be
Here” and “Still Ray” – and the
subsequent 2003 all-star concert album, All Hits at the
House of Blues: Live, which featured a gang of special
guests, including D’Angelo, DJ Quik, a reunion of
Tony Toni Tone`, Goapele, Ledisi and original New Birth
lead singer Leslie Wilson.
Today, behind an automated white gate on a non-descript
street in North Hollywood, Raphael Saadiq has quietly set
up the Blakeslee Recording Company, the creative epicenter
that drives his long-struggling yet finally prospering
Pookie Entertainment, home of his recent signings edgy
R&B singer Truth Hurts (Ready Now) and alternative
urban diva Joi (Tennessee Slim Is The Bomb). Running Pookie
has brought another level of responsibility to
Raphael’s life, one he respects and welcomes
wholeheartedly inside the industry…and beyond.
“You hear a lot of artists say, ‘Music is my
life,’ but it's not. Music is not the most important
thing in my life. It's my hobby. I love it and it's been
very, very good to me. I'm very blessed and very thankful,
but there are other things – like my mother and
father, who are getting older now – and my nieces and
nephews.”
Still he’s never too far away from his youthful side
that allows Ray Ray to come out and play. And that’s
what Raphael Saadiq as Ray Ray is all about. “I had
to put away my Play Station and X-Box to finish this
thing,” Ray Ray reasons, “so I figured I might
as well have some fun up in here – you know, throw
some double courts up in the back of the studio!”
Still ahead, be checkin’ for Raphael on tour, a Tony
Toni Tone’ reunion album and (drum roll, please) the
new Lucy Pearl: Raphael Saadiq, Dawn Robinson…and
Q-Tip.
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