September 18,1991...The Portland Observer...Page 5
Suave*
Before Homey the Clown... Before Blaine & Antoine
To
There was
The
Listening to Suave’s new album,
To The Maxx gives no clue to the kind
of courage and dedication that was
needed to complete the two-year proj­
ect. The music is as lough as ever, the
vocal performances strong and assured.
From the single “ Rocked Your “ Bools”
to the infectious “ Dog Me Out” and
the plaintive “ Let Me In Your World,’ ’
Suave jams.
“ I worked with a truly wonderful
group of guys: Michael Angelo
Saulsberry, Eric Kirkland, Phillip
Johnson and Irving Washington III are
four very talented writers, producers
and artists in their own right,” says
Suave of his associates, all of whom
are signed to his production company,
Suave’s First Production, and will soon
produce their own Capitol album as
the group Portrait. “ Andre Wilson, the
son of The Gap Band’s Ronnie Wilson
co-produced the album with me,” Suave
says proudly. “ These guys just wouldn’t
let me give up. They kept pushing me
onward to finish this album, and with­
out them, I don’t know if I could have
completed it.”
Young, cool and sharp, Suave burst
onto the music scene in 1988 with his
tantalizing and hypnotic hip-hop ver­
sion of The Temptations classic “ My
Girl,” hitting the Top 20 and #3 slot on
the R&B chart. The follow-up single,
“ Shake Your Body.” was another strong
black music side and Suave’s engag­
ing debut album , I ’m Your
Playmate,earned him a slew of fans.
Soon he was on the road performing
with top R&B artists like Roger Trout-
men, Troop and Guy.
Suave was ready to follow that
initial success with another great al­
bum, and once back from his 1988
tour, the stylish 22-year-old singer/
songwriter/producer began work on his
second Capitol album. “ I wanted to
get on with my music, and was able to,
thanks to tremendous support from my
friends.”
Bom in Reno, Nevada, Suave grew
up in South Central Los Angeles, eas­
The cast of “In Living Color”
would like to apologize
for all the rules they broke,
the people they shocked
and the trouble they caused this past season
ily one of the city’s toughest neighbor­
hoods. “ But my grandmother, Genora
Simmons, made sure that I grew up in a
positive atmospher,’’notes Suave. “ She
instilled in me the kind of values that
have helped me make it through every­
thing.”
At a young age, Suave discovered
such great vocalists as Marvin Gaye,
Donny Hathaway, Teddy Pendergrass
and The Gap Band’s Charlie Wilson,
one o f his all-time heroes. Fulfilling
Suave’s lifelong dream, Wilson joins
Suave on the To The Maxx duet, “ Zero.”
After spending two years in the
military, Suave returned to Los Ange­
les and began working on some musical
ideas. “ I chose “ My Girl” because it
was my uncle’s favorite. I never forgot
when he taught me to drive. The Temp­
tations’ version of that song was on a
tape we were listening to, so I wanted to
do the tune as a tribue.”
When Capitol executives heard
Suave’s bold and innovative reading of
the Motown chestnut, they signed the
multi-talented artist to a long-term
contract. Suave co-produced his suc­
cessful debut album, at the same time
setting up his own production and pub­
lishing companies to provide an avenue
for other talented young writers, pro­
ducers and artists. O f his immediate
success in 1987, Suave notes, “ It was
non-stop. No sooner had the record hit
the charts than I was out on the road
performing within just a few months.
To say it was hectic would be a real
understatement! ’
Suddenly, Suave’s future plans were
threaten when, in 1988, he was diag­
nosed with lung cancer. But rather than
cause Suave to hang it up, the illness
prompted him to put into practice an
optimistic philosophy of perseverance.
“ It took the belief of everybody who
was involved in making To The Maxx.
The whole concept of the title song is
that i’m going to go all the way. I’m
going to take my life to the maxx. I’m
I’m not about to give up.”
Other songs of special significance
include “ Girl, You Got Me Goin’”
which he says is “ my favorite track on
the album because it’s so funky. It’s
about a guy who’s literally going out
of his mind over this girl,” The
track” Special Lady, Special Friend,”
says Suave, “ is dedicated to someone
who has really stuck by me through
thick and thin. “ Suave’s duet with the
legendary Charlie Willson, “ Zero,” is
another song holding great meaning.
“ I was feeling down about myself, but
Charlie put it to me straight when he
said ‘When you let your dream die,
you die.’ The song says ‘I’m not your
zero, i’m your hero,’ and having a per­
son of his musical stature singing with
me was just incredible.”
With the support of Capitol ex­
ecutives like Chairman Joe Smith, Hale
Milgrim and R&B hitmakers such as
Marlon Jackson, Chuckii Booker and
Troop, Suave says he’s been encour­
aged “ to fight and pull through. With
To The Maxx i’m telling people, espe­
cially young people, ‘Hey, I’ve seen
all sides of life, I know about peer pres­
sure, and I know what it takes to sur­
vive.”
The funky grooves and tender bal­
lads of Suave’s To The Maxx is a mu­
sical testament to the strength of an in­
credibly courageous and talented young
man who is committed to spreading an
important message. “ Through this al­
bum, I want to give people hope,” he
says. “ I want to show folks that faith
works and that they too can create
something to live for.”
Oregon Ballet Theatre
Announces Nutcracker
Auditions
1.
2.
3.
4.
But they’d be lying
M axx
5.
Goto Boys
"We Can’t Be Stopped”
Jodecl
"Jodeci”
Boyzin The Hood
"Boyzin The Hood”
Naughty By Nature
"Naughty By Nature
Yours Truly
"Yours Truly’
6.
O neStopRecordsPresents...
"Mix Tape”
7. Queen Latifah
"Nature Of A Sista”
8. Karen White
“Ritual Of Love”
9. Suave’
"To The Maxx"
10. Spice I
"Let It Be Known"
"SURE TO HAVE MOVIEGOERS
ROLLING IN THE
AISLES WITH LAUGHTER!"
Oregon Ballet Theatre is seeking
boys ages 5-13, to audition for non­
dancing roles in the company’s 1991
production of NUTCRACKER.
Auditions are scheduled for Satur­
day, September 21, from 2:30 to 3:00
p.m. in OBT’s studios, located in the
Masonic Temple at 1120 SW Tenth
Avenue in Portland.
Selected boys will appear in the
ACT I party scene with members of the
professional company and are required
to be available for all rehearsals and the
entire run of the ballet, which is slated
for 16 performances. December 13-24,
at Portland Civic Auditorium. Evening
performances are scheduled on Decern -
ber 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 1 9 ,2 0 ,2 1 ,2 2 ,
and 23. Matinees are on December 14,
15, 20, 21, 22, and 24. Rehearsals are
scheduled on Saturdays, beginning in
October and running through Decem­
ber.
For further information, call (503)
227-0977.
-Jet Magazine
•
A comedy about makin' it ! *
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