![]() ![]() King felt were the largest obstacle to achieving meaningful racial equity, above the white supremacists he and his peers consistently faced in the marches. We wanted to invoke empathy and invite more action and involvement from the silent sympathetic white majority, whom Dr. PC: Writing “Another Mother’s Son” with Kane Smego was a way for me to use whatever artistic platform I have to speak out about the systemic injustices that affect our communities of color. I saw some pictures of the rehearsals coming together on instagram–could you just talk about the recording process for that song, and how it felt hearing it performed for the first time? RLR: The gospel chorus ending of “ Another Mother’s Son ” leaves me tearful every damn time. I joke with my friends that I will inevitably be a choir director in a later chapter of my life, because I love thinking about harmony more than just about anything. I just made sure the blend was securely up front and even like in quartet music. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to mix my part louder at all because the balance of the chord would be off. Chastity actually sings the melody line and Tamisha is on the second alto above her. The harmony part I sing isn’t the lead melody, it’s just the baritone. ![]() I’m still learning about my own voice and its dynamics and range, but I love the process and I’m steadily getting better. All three of these women have dynamic voices with character and range and power. In “Tide Of Life” I had the opportunity to work with three incredible singers: Tamisha Waden, Chastity Brown, and Amelia Meath. If it was good enough for The Jackson Southernaires, it’s good enough for me. On my stage, we stand together at the front, just like the greats of the past. To me that seems eerily reminiscent of Jim Crow and it’s all too common still. It further bothers me when a white artist is singing at the front of that stage, basking in a spot light while a row of black singers is standing on that dimly lit platform in back. It bothers me when I see harmony singers delegated to the back of the stage on a dimly lit platform, almost like they’re not supposed to be seen, just heard. Sure, there were star leads like Mavis, Sam Cooke, and Ira Tucker who commanded the deserved attention of the public, but by and large when you saw these groups perform, all the singers formed a line across the front of the stage. You can find any recording of The Staple Singers and it doesn’t matter if Mavis or Pops are singing lead, the blend of all the family members is equally up front. “Background” in quartet doesn’t mean quieter in the mix, it means you sing your ass off when it’s time to sing and the parts fall rhythmically around the lead but not behind it. A good example of this is The Dixie Hummingbirds recording of “In The Morning,” where all the vocals are to the front, both lead and background. It simply indicates a way of approaching the arrangement of vocal harmonies. Quartet style doesn’t mean “four people” as you’d normally assume. If you’ve read any interview I’ve given, you know about my passion for black gospel music, especially the quartet style. This is an intentional choice on my part to do away with the way background vocals are typically used by rock musicians these days, but more on that later. PC: “Tide Of Life” uses a vocal approach that I call “foreground vocals”. RLR: I’m so interested in “ Tide of Life ,” because you step into the background (vocally) on the album’s second song–how did that arrangement come about? Phil has been pretty busy as of late, so we didn’t get to talk for this preview, but he was kind enough to write an email with some thoughts about his new record, about justice, and what he’s learned about empathy and kindness from his earliest days. It doesn’t matter if you are a fan already. This is all to say that I am very excited for Phil’s show at The Sinclair next week and I think you should be there. People Are My Drug, Phil’s latest record, came out in June, and I have worn its grooves out. The most joyful night of music I have ever experienced was Phil Cook and the Guitarheels at their Newport aftershow in 2016. ![]()
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