LOS ANGELES, July 10, (RTRS): In one of the more surprising events at the 2010 BET Awards, El DeBarge performed a medley of ‘80s hits by DeBarge, the family group he once sang lead for.
Having resurrected “All This Love,” “Time Will Reveal” and the dance jam “Rhythm of the Night” that evening, the singer-songwriter is hoping to parlay the moment — heralded by fans and critics alike — into a successful comeback bid with his first album since 1994.
Due Sept 28, the aptly titled “Second Chance” not only launches DeBarge’s new deal with Geffen, but it also signals his return after several run-ins with the law involving domestic violence and drug abuse. Having served a two-year term in California state prison after a 2008 bust for drug possession, DeBarge says he’s ready to face the music.
“When I got locked up, that was my ‘Oh, wow’ moment,” he says. “And the minute I stepped up to the mic after I was released, I rediscovered who I am and what I can do.”
Still blessed with a three-octave range, DeBarge is co-writing and co-producing songs with such collaborators as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Babyface (who worked on DeBarge’s 1994 set “Heart, Mind and Soul”), Mike City, Geffen chief Ron Fair and the Avilia Brothers. He performed the album’s title track on BET, and says a formal first single will be announced shortly. Among the other tracks slated to appear on the album are “How Can You Love Me So Much, Girl?,” “Serenading You” and “Switch Up the Formats,” a club song with 50 Cent.
“There’s music to dance to and make love to, music to cry to,” DeBarge says. “I’m starting from scratch, coming fresh. But my sound still embodies the same soulful, intricate harmonies.”
In addition to logging collaborative credits with DJ Quik and RZA, DeBarge has watched his back catalog covered or sampled by artists ranging from the Notorious B.I.G. to Patti LaBelle. After leaving the family act in the mid-’80s, DeBarge logged several of his own hits — including “Who’s Johnny” and “Love Always” — as well as a guest stint on Quincy Jones’ 1990 No. 1, “The Secret Garden.”
Confessing that he was nervous before being embraced by the BET audience, DeBarge has since opened for R&B singer Vivian Green and performed a surprise duet with Keri Hilson of the 1982 DeBarge family hit “I Like It” at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. He’s now taking “a chill pill from the media” and settling down in the studio to finish the album.
“There’s a certain missing feeling, a void out there that I’m more than happy to fill,” the singer says. “Without criticizing what’s out there now, I’m just going to do El DeBarge.”
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For singer/guitarist Nathan Williams and his noise-pop band Wavves, 2009 was a year that every aspiring musician hopes for — and one that every established musician dreads.
After drawing critical acclaim for a sophomore album recorded in his bedroom, Williams embarked on a European tour that was cut short by a drug-fueled meltdown during a performance at last year’s Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, Spain.
Williams says he looks back on 2009 as “a really fun time and a learning experience.” He’s also not surprised that his speedy rise to indie prominence has been a little bumpy.
“It all took off so quickly that I wasn’t really ready for it,” says Williams, who issued an apology after the Primavera show. “But I got to go to Europe, meet some cool people, and that’s helped me get to where I am now.”
Williams has regained his composure and tightened his sound for third album “King of the Beach,” released digitally July 1. The follow-up to 2009 breakthrough “Wavvves” is set for an Aug. 3 physical release on Fat Possum, but an online leak in June forced the label to bump up the digital release.
Williams, whose two previous albums featured a lo-fi, DIY approach to pop music, met with Fat Possum founder Matthew Johnson and producer Dennis Herring (the Hives, Modest Mouse) over dinner last fall to discuss the direction of the band.
“He was growing tired of the ‘small’ sound,” Johnson says. “He wanted to make improvements, and we thought he was ready to leave his comfort zone.”
For “Beach,” Williams decided to record in a proper studio and recruit a permanent backing band (previously he worked with drummers Ryan Ulsh and Zach Hill). Bassist Stephen Pope and drummer Billy Hayes, both members of the late Jay Reatard’s band, were brought in as full-time bandmates in November.
In February Wavves began recording for three months in Herring’s Mississippi studio, with the producer adding a clarity to the band’s raucous summer sing-alongs. “Dennis sparks something in you that’s hard to describe,” Williams says. “I butted heads with him a couple times, but I respect him tremendously.”
While “Beach” is far removed from the group’s early noisiness, Williams’ sneering songwriting still charms on tracks like “Super Soaker” and “Baseball Cards.”
Williams says he hasn’t been bothered by the album leak, and that it has been fun hearing fans sing along to new tracks at his recent shows. As the band prepares to kick off a European tour Thursday in Germany, Williams foresees a much smoother, if not quite sedate, overseas trek in 2010.
“It still might be a drunken mess,” Williams says. “But you can expect it to be better than it was.”