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When one legend dedicates an album to another legend, you better make damn sure that the music in those grooves lives up to the occasion. When it's R&B superstar Gerald Levert paying homage, you don't even sweat it. His new album, the inspiring Stroke Of Genius - which he dedicated to the late, great Barry White - captures the prolific Levert delivering some of his most honest and emotive vocals.
"When you're creating a masterpiece,"he begins slyly on the album's intro, "You got to be sure to make every stroke count." Levert does of, course, from the tricky, preening "Knock Knock,"to the full flowing "Awesome,"to one of the tracks that Barry himself could have easily slipped into, the mesmerizing ballad "You Got That Love (Call It A Night)."
Most of the twenty tracks on his sixth solo album were produced and written by Gerald and Edwin Nicholas, which ensured that the impeccably produced epic would live up to the standards they set for themselves. "If you dedicate your album to someone like Barry, a singer who literally changed the face of music forever, you better be able to step up,"says Gerald. "But let me assure you it's a very humbling experience. I've always tried to pay my respects during my career to those trailblazers who wrote the book, so to speak. I tell a lot of the young cats to go back and do their homework, now and then. Seek out these records. Look at the performances. You can't help to become better because of it. My goal for this album, as always, was to write and sing as best I could, to craft a record that could hang with my previous work, and maybe bring some new fans in the process. I think what we can learn more than anything from those great ones who have left us, is that you got to put your heart and soul into this, everyday. Sometimes, you do come out with a masterpiece now and then. That makes all the sweat and tears - and all the hundreds of ways this business can break your heart - worth it."
Gerald's illustrious career is a testament to that kind of dedication. On his last album, the highly successful The G Spot, Gerald ventured to the streets of Philadelphia to capture the vibe he wanted. For him, it's always been about the music first. From his earliest days of watching his dad, Eddie Levert, on tour with the O'Jays, to his first foray into the business with the group Levert in 1985, Gerald has always strived to improve his singing and his writing. "I'm thankful for my fans, for those who stick with me, who follow what I do and come to the shows to see me give back a little. When you've been in the game as long as I have, there's a bond there that you can't even really explain."
The explanation lies in the legacy of hits Levert has bestowed on the public for almost two decades now. His career launch with Levert created a host of gold albums and numerous 1 R&B singles, along with his early solo stints on albums such as Private Line and Groove On. His acclaimed 1995 release, the mesmerizing Father & Son created a new template for R&B, with Gerald trading verses with his mentor and father Eddie Levert. His groundbreaking union with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill in 1996 produced the multi-platinum LSG, featuring the multiple format smash "My Body."
More solo discs followed, including the heartfelt Love And Consequences, with Gerald finding himself achieving coveted superstar status by the time of his 2000 release, G, which entered the Billboard Top Albums chart at an unprecedented 6. Gerald's World followed in August of 2001, and then last year's acclaimed The G Spot, which relied heavily on the instincts of the legendary singer from start to finish. "I never try to be something I'm not. I don't chase trends. I owe it to my fans to shake it up a little now and then. Songs are stories. And with the life I've led, I know how to tell a story."
