GERALD LEVERT HAS
REASONS TO SMILE

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 28, 2000, p5
Author:  By Alan Sculley
Copyright 2000 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

 

As he puts heartache behind him, the singer's new album reflects a sunnier outlook.

On the cover of Gerald Levert's current CD, "G," the singer flashes his familiar broad grin. The smile seems to reflect the mood of the music, which is decidedly more upbeat than the songs on his previous album, the ominously titled "Love And Consequences."

That 1998 CD was written and recorded soon after Levert's fiancee had broken off their six-year relationship. Having used "Love and Consequences" to express some of the pain and heartbreak he felt, Levert said he realized it was time to move on with the "G" CD.

"You know, I'm still in love -- I never fell out of love," Levert said. "But I know that life goes on, and you can't just sit there and mope. All I can do now is try to fix what I did wrong in that relationship. And that's happening. I'm trying to do that. I got tired of being always sad and hurt. It got to the point where writers would send me songs, and all of them would be sad.

"Man, I want to sing something to the ladies. I want to love somebody. And it's like I said: Life moves on, and you have to, too."

Levert comes by his love for music quite naturally -- his father, Eddie, is a member of the legendary O'Jays, the seminal R&B act that shares the bill at the Fox on Friday evening.

If you were born too recently to know the O'Jays by name, you may nonetheless be familiar with their music -- exuberant, soul-stirring songs that include "Love Train," "For the Love of Money" and the indispensable "Back Stabbers." It's a good bet that Gerald and Eddie will harmonize during the course of the evening, as they did so impressively on their joint 1995 CD, "Father and Son."

Not that the younger Levert needs his old man's help to explore the vicissitudes of love. In a long career, he's internalized the best of the vocal R&B tradition and customized it to the point where he can make any song his own. Which is just another way of saying that, like his idol Marvin Gaye, he's capable of embracing the pain as well as the joy. And in fact, some tunes on "G" contain remnants of Levert's broken relationship.

But he hasn't allowed that experience to take over the whole CD -- for one thing, it would be too much of a downer. And heartache aside, the singer has an abundance of reasons to feel good about his life and career today.

Levert first made his name in the 1980s as the focal point of the group Levert, which also featured his brother Sean and childhood friend Marc Gordon. The trio enjoyed a good run, with six gold albums and a string of hit singles.

After launching his solo career with the 1991 CD "Private Line," a million-selling album recorded while the trio was still together, Levert followed it up in 1994 with the platinum-plus CD "Groove On." Then came the 1995 collaboration with his father.

In 1997, he united with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill for the LSG project. The resulting CD was a major hit, spawning several singles, including the chart topping "My Body." Although the disc featured enough up-to-the-minute guest stars -- Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, LL Cool J -- to ensure its hip-hop credibility, it also adhered to much the same bedrock, and bedroom, values that brought the O'Jays so much success.

Unquestionably among the prime exemplars of '70s soul, the O'Jays started out in the '50s in Canton, Ohio, as the Triumphs. Later known as the Mascots, the group renamed itself in honor of a helpful Cleveland disc jockey, Eddie O'Jay. On Imperial Records in the 1960s, the O'Jays had early hits with tunes including "Lonely Drifter" and "Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)," which secured spots on the pop and/or R&B charts.

But the group really hit its stride when it hooked up with the songwriter/production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. What Berry Gordy was to Detroit, Gamble and Huff were to Philadelphia. Their recording company, Philadelphia International, was responsible for some of the most enduring soul music of the century, and the O'Jays played a pivotal role.

The single "Back Stabbers (They smile in your face/All the time they want to take your place)" sold more than a million copies in 1972-73, giving the O'Jays their breakout hit. Ironically, in an interview with Goldmine magazine, Gamble said that the group had been skeptical of the song's prospects.

"We had to almost force the O'Jays to sing it," Gamble recalled. "They didn't like it. ... But then we said, let's try it and see what happens."

Even more successful was "Love Train" (1973), which sped to No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts. And the immortal "For the Love of Money" certainly generated its share of that lean, mean green.

That's a daunting legacy to live up to. But the younger Levert seems determined to do it proud.

Not only have "Love And Consequences" and "G" placed the focus firmly on his solo career, but they have also been among his most acclaimed recording efforts. Indeed, "Love and Consequences" -- which was clearly inspired by Levert's love for Gaye's music -- was something of an all-star effort. The CD featured guest appearances by such stars as Mary J. Blige and R. Kelly and spawned the hit single "Thinkin' About It."

But his latest album, "G," represented a change in strategy. Rather than tapping a variety of guest producers and singers, Levert worked primarily with his chief songwriting and producing partners, Darrell Delite Allamby and Edwin Tony Nicholas. "G" finds Levert playing to his strengths as a songwriter and singer. While many urban artists feel obligated to make hip-hop a big part of their sound to appeal to today's audiences, Levert -- while acknowledging the latest trends -- also reveres the old-school soul of artists like Gaye and the O'Jays.

After all, the singer's earliest musical memories involve watching, and listening to, his father perform with the O'Jays. Although Levert may employ modern beats here and there, the ballad-heavy "G" is defined by the silky vocal melodies he brings to songs such as "Nothin' to Somethin' " and "Mr. Too Damn Good."

Sure, he's aware that, by avoiding raps on the new CD, he's bucking the trend. But for him, the risk is worth it. The singer has come to feel that it's not always necessary to play the commercial game.

"There was a time when I felt, OK, we need to have a rap on here, or I need to get with this guy or that guy (to produce tracks)," Levert said. "But now, I just do what makes me feel good. Because if it makes me feel good, I know I'm going to put my all into it. If it's a song where the words are touching me, hitting me in my heart -- where it makes me want to dance or bob my head and sweat -- I do it. It's like when you take it to the stage, you realize what people are coming to see."

As he points out, his fans really only want one thing from him anyway -- his singing.

"They want to hear the voice, they want to hear those songs, they want to see some antics, they want to see some performance. That rap on a song don't mean nothing, because I'm not a rapper. I'm a singer."

 

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