There's a soulful urgency to his powerhouse vocal delivery, an honest passion, and a lyrical sensitivity that instantly gives Jesse Powell an edge over many of the current crop of young male vocalists. Call it a combination of his natural gift and the teen years spent honing his craft but whatever the root of this masterful singer's talent, he delivers.
As his sizzling, heartfelt self-titled Silas Records' debut album shows, Jesse knows how to get inside a song and reach its lyrical essence. Track for track, his first album is a sure fire indicator that the music scene should prepare for a new and impressive hit maker. Without recourse to the cloned, now-commonplace riffs and runs that have become standard for most of today's young singers, Jesse puts his own stamp on each of the tunes on his recording debut and the result is an emotionally satisfying listening experience.
Check out the tender poignancy of the acoustic-flavored "Is It Over", which Jesse himself calls "the ultimate heartbreak song". There's the steamy groove of the first single All I Need, the flavorful upbeat feel of "Looking For Love", one of the seven songs Jesse co-wrote for the album. Grammy winner Daryl Simmons wrote and produced three tracks including the standout ballad "I Will Be Loving You", and the emotive "You Don't Know", while Keri "KL" Lewis and Stokley of the hit group Mint Condition contributed two cuts - the hypnotic "All Alone" and the appealing slow jam, "Real With You".
Others involved with the production of Jesse Powell include Red Hot Lover Tone and Jean "Poke" Olivier (also known as Trak Masterz), Laney Stewart, Buster & Shavoni, Carl Roland, and Michael Stokes. R&B veteran Stokes had the rare distinction of producing both the original versions of the 70's group Enchantment's "Gloria" and "It's You That I Need" and Jesse's impassioned, outstanding medley of the two "old school" classics.
"The album is a real representation of who I am", says the handsome singer. "I'm a hopeless romantic... and I think that comes through on the material we selected. There is a recurrent theme on a number of love and heartbreak ?something I can relate to and a definite inspiration."
Born in Gary, Indiana, Jesse's earliest introduction to music came via his family: with his mother, two sisters and younger brother, Jesse sang in and around the city on local talent shows. "I don't remember a time when I didn't hear music", says Jesse, who mentions hometown natives The Jackson's, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin among his influences. "Honestly, I never considered doing anything other than music. I kept my fingers crossed that I could make a living doing it..."
Throughout his school days,Jesse sang with the family group, moving to Los Angeles in 1993 to fulfill his musical dreams. A stop in Kansas City on the way brought him in contact with up-and-coming writer/producer Carl Roland, and the pair began working together upon their arrival in L.A. "I didn't have a plan when I got to Los Angeles", Jesse recalls. "First off, I had to get a job... and then I performed at talent contests, industry showcases, just wherever I could..."
Jesse got his break when Silas Records' founder Louil Silas, Jr., was blown away with his performance at an artist showcase. Silas immediately heard the honesty in Jesse's super soulful vocal delivery. "Believe me, I was nervous!" Jesse smiles. "But it went well and shortly afterwards, Louil offered me a deal. That's when I knew all the work I had been doing on my career was not in vain." The beginning of a musical collaboration between the two was soon born.
Masterminding the project, executive Silas worked closely with Jesse in selecting the right mix of songs for his all-important first album, "We started on the great quest, searching for the right songs", says Jesse. "I wanted to find tunes that I could relate to which is one of the reasons I co-wrote songs for the album. It was very important for me to stay true to myself as an artist, finding material that was R&B at its core. There's definitely an "old school" sound to some of the songs, and yet we tried to make sure the album had a 90's feel to it."
Hard-pressed to select his own personal favorites, Jesse says each song "shows some part of my personality, my character. After we picked a song, I'd ask myself, 'is this really me?' That was the key." Tunes like "Spend The Night" and the infectious "I Like", written with hit songwriter Gordon Chambers (Brownstone, Anita Baker), shows Jesse's sensual side while his Enchantment medley is a testament to his unbridled sensitivity.
In addition to working with so many talented producers and writers, Jesse had the opportunity to include members of his own family on different tunes: mother Emerald and brother Jacob can be heard on "Is It Over" and "You", while sisters Tamara and Catrina added their singing skills (individually or collectively) to a total of eight tunes. "Having my family sing with me was really great", says Jesse. "They have been so supportive of me over the years and they know that having this album out is the fulfillment of a dream. They know the sacrifices I went through in moving away from them and from my friends to come to Los Angeles to pursue my musical career... and they know how thrilled I am about all that's happened since I signed with Silas Records."
Now, with the release of Jesse Powell, the music-buying public is about to discover what executives at Silas Records have known ever since this talented singer/songwriter began recording his exciting debut: with the combination of a vocal maturity that belies his youth, his unpretentious, for-real kind of personality, natural good looks, and an innate soulful approach to his music, Jesse Powell has truly only just begun!
Source: http://www.mca.com
