Patterson's latest release, After Hours (Artistry Music), is a sensual thirteen song-set romp, filled to the brim with Patterson's emotionally charged confessions. With the new album, Patterson seeks to "communicate honesty, communicate paradox, and communicate truth."
First, I want to offer my condolences regarding your father's death. How did it affect the recording of After Hours?
I started recording a month before he passed. Maybe two songs were written. [His passing] made me much more aggressive in a way dealing with the reality of loss to that degree, the reality of life, and the reality of God, and I started to become really affected by it. It took me to a dark place and it's not easy still, but I am better.
Artistically what was your intent with After Hours? How does it differ from Rahsaan Patterson (1998) and Love in Stereo (2000)?
My intent, as always, is to communicate. Communicate honesty, communicate paradox, you know, communicate truth. This album is a representation of the last five years of my life and growth and regression (laughs).
Your songwriting often relies heavily on lush background vocals. Did you start out as a background singer?
I guess when you come from singing in the choir, yes, you know what I mean? That's where you learn to harmonize, that sort of thing. Backgrounds are not always necessary but because I do enjoy them I make it an intricate part of my music. And as a singer you can't help but sing and you can't help but get lost, you know its pure masturbation for real, release and spirit communication.
Talk about your songwriting craft.
It's all instinctive and spirit. It's funny. I don't know what I do until after, you know? When I'm in the studio singing, I sing the song from beginning to end and I don't know what I just did until I listen back to it. Because the spirits come and the brain works really fast, you know what I mean, so subconsciously somewhere for me I know what's going to come outta my mouth, but once my brain and mouth do it simultaneously it doesn'tÂ…I don't recall. I am not aware of it. And I like those kinds of singers and musicians, people who go with instinct who have a method to their madness. When I make my music I like to pay homage to my patents and the artists that they played when I was growing up. You know. So I like to communicate not only with the listener but also with those artists as well.
Name a few of those singers.
Stevie Wonder, definitely. Donny Hathaway, Chaka Khan. More recently, Ledesi. Another singer who completely loses it, the subconscious spirit of vocals with the brain is Lalah Hathaway. And like most jazz singers of today and in the past there's a brilliance that's present and that's why they were able to articulate it so well, and that's what jazz is, if that makes sense.
How autobiographical is After Hours? We've talked about musicians and their relationship to the music they make. Meshell Ndegeochello's music immediately comes to mind. Over the years he work has become intensely personal. You said that's what artists do.
Yeah it's not really an option, you know what I mean? You just share truth whether it's your truth at the moment of writing it, or it eventually becomes your truth. That's what I find interesting about songs, you know, is that they develop and evolve and parallel your existence as an artist. I think that's one of the factors in why people relate to them.
I don't sing songs that don't relate to my life or my experience and because I'm a songwriter as well I'm writing songs on the album that represent who I am. I can only write my truth, you know but in doing that I found that it's made me very vulnerable and susceptible to criticisms that only come because there is such a level of pure vulnerable honesty in my songwriting as well as in my singing. I sing instinctively. I sing with notes that represent the emotions regardless if the emotion is terribly masculine or too sensitive for some people.
How can artists work to build bridges in what appears to be fragmented communities, politically, racially, sexually, and spiritually? How do you see your work developing in these times?
I guess if you want to build a bridge you would really know the answer to that (laughs). It goes back to truth and relating and people really letting go of their bullshit and be real, you know? When you are there is no blame, there is no surprise, there is no guilt.
Regarding your press, do people get you?
Yeah they probably do because the reality of it is that you never really know anybody, really. Regardless of what they tell you. It's up to you to believe it, take it, run with it and be affected by it. In dealing with press, like regular relationships, people have their opinions and they have a right to their opinions. There should never be an expectation of wanting another person to get anything how you get it because they never will.
That's interesting. Some people strive to do just thatÂ…get themÂ…
Â…and I don't have that intention at all. I don't need for people to get me, you know what I mean? It's like anybody else in the world. Do you need to be friends with everybody who exists on the planet? No. Are you secure and happy with the ones you have? Yes. This is really my personality. I think it goes back to the level of personal communication to whoever is listening to what it is I do. It's always nice when people do get it because that just means that you are talking to somebody who either has the capacity to be open enough to understand where you are, or they are a person who is right there with you, who relates and that's always nice. But I respect any writer who writes whatever they want to because that's their opinion, and their writing is based on their interpretation of the music. It could very well be that they are not ready for it, or may never be, you know. But it's all about growth and time. The music has a way of coming back to you and making sense when it didn't before.
True. How is your work received in Europe as opposed to the United States?
I think they receive it the same way the 20 people receive it here doÂ…you know what I mean?
Aww, come on.
The difference is only that Europe isn't so consumed by bullshit and false reality and because music tends to represent where people's conscious is. American music is not a great representation of that, I don't feel compared to Europe. World music is more complex and spiritually-based than American music. If it's twenty people or twenty million people, the value doesn't change.
What caused the break with MCA?
My contract was up. Seven years or seven albums. Seven years came first. I was able to release two albums with them. I was extremely grateful to MCA for giving me the opportunity and for the support that they did give me. I had been in the industry for 20 years (as an actor on the television show, Kids Incorporated, and in films and commercials) before I even wanted to get a record deal, and I was aware of what it was and what it was about. I had made a decision to be committed to MCA, or whoever I was signed to, and it happened to be MCA to be there for the experience and to accept it whatever the outcome was. As long as I was able to make records and they would definitely be put out, I couldn't ask for more than that.
Is there anything you want people to know? Buy my damn music, enjoy itÂ…anything you feel likeÂ…
I just want people to know that I am an artist. I am a black man, a human being. My spirit trapped in human form just like everybody else and the only difference is that I am on this side of the show.
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Comments
1.
percival says:
www.foursixtyseven.nl
January 9, 2007 at 3:03 pm
2.
percival says:
WOW!
Its great to read sum of Rahsaan's mind. I'm a musician and singer and love his work. He shares many of da feelings we all have and for sum weird reasons allt hink of we face them alone...like being a spirit trapped in this body, moving slowly thru this mudd on earth and trying to make sense of it by creating music. Creating vibrations that make you feel sumpthing about this life you can't even put to wordz...well Rahsaan can...and We can...check us out
January 9, 2007 at 3:00 pm