With this recording, Terence Trent D'Arby's Vibrator, the singer, songwriter, arranger, producer has once again succeeded in creating an ambitious, provocative and diverse album of music. The theme of this record, his fourth, is spirituality. The title itself refers to Terence's concept that vibrations exist within all matter. Such ethereal subjects have been an inspiration in Terence's previous recordings, but this time around he explores the concepts more thoroughly -- examining them on his own terms.
And so, along with songs about pure love ("Holding On to You", "Undeniably", "We Don't Have That Much Time Together", "It's Been Said"), immortality ("If You Go Before Me"), and the pursuit of enlightenment ("Vibrator", "Surrender"), Terence also takes a look at sexual attraction ("Read My Lips: I Dig Your Scene", "C.Y.F.M.L.A.Y.?"), doubt and fear ("Resurrection", "TTD's Recurring Dream") and -- offering a humorous slant -- the narcissistic world of supermodels (and rock stars too, for that matter), in the satirical "Supermodel Sandwich". Whatever the message, Terence succeeds in composing and performing music that resonates his ideas, ranging from hard-rocking songs and heartful anthems to funky soul tunes and jazz-tinged ballads.
"Music is there purely to communicate", Terence says. "That's the highest endeavor for language -- to communicate, to move someone. Whether it's Neil Young, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, Beethoven, Patsy Cline, Aretha, Hank Williams or Bill Withers -- it's the soul coming through that counts".
Soul is an important element in Terence's music, present in his organic songcraft, in the execution of smooth arrangements and in his singing. Terence's voice attracted attention from the beginning of his career, with the release in 1987 of Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby. Capable of rough textured intensity, an intimate whisper and a delicate, clear falsetto, it is a voice that covers the scope of emotion.
Also emanating from Terence's music is a voracious intellectual curiosity, a trait that has inspired him to read widely and extensively, once even incorporating the lines form one of his favorite writers, Rilke, into a song. "The people I gravitate toward in philosophy and literature are people that consolidate and validate one truth", TTD says. "Not one religion or path, but one truth. One ultimate reality".
Balancing this introspective side of himself, Terence also pursues more earthly concerns. To him, striving for enlightenment is a way to realize the inner self. But it is also important to celebrate living. "It's essential to enjoy the gift of life", he says. "So I also write songs about sex, or about hanging out. I see my music as, 'Here's some stuff to think about -- or you can just dig the groove.'"
On Terence Trent D'Arby's Vibrator, Terence offers plenty of grooves, as in the guitar-driven rock dynamic of "Vibrator" and the soul-funk punch of "Supermodel Sandwich." And on the tricky, upbeat "Read My Lips (I Dig your Scene)", Terence begins the track with aural bits of devotional chants and a string section, then drops into an irresistible rhythm track -- anchored by his own drumming and Southern-funked guitar -- that provides a solid base to his falsetto vocals. Clear, high vocals also grace "C.Y.F.M.L.A.Y.?", an R&B-flavored vibe with a deep, full foundation. The album also includes a club-ready version of "Supermodel Sandwich", (this one dubbed "w/Cheese"). Terence recorded the song two different ways because, he explains slyly, "Some people can't eat dairy products."
Irresistible though those grooves may be, Terence is also well known for the strength of his ballads. Hardline offered "Sign Your Name" and "Let Her Down Easy"; on Terence Trent D'Arby's Vibrator, he delivers some of the best he's ever written. On "Holding On To You", Terence's vocals run deep and clear, while "Undeniably" and "It's Been Said" feature the upper range of his voice to great effect. And "If You Go Before Me" creates drama in its simplicity: the song features only Terence's pure vocal and a piano accompaniment.
As on his previous recordings, TTD produces and plays numerous instruments -- all instruments on some songs -- including sitar, keyboards, guitars and drums. He also wrote the arrangements for the album, featuring strings and woodwinds on some cuts, and performed most vocals, including overdubbed backup tracks on many of the songs. Terence Trent D'Arby's Vibrator also features numerous musicians who toured with D'Arby in support of Symphony or Damn, his third album, and several guests artists, including keyboardist Patrice Rushen, trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda and saxophonist Brandford Marsalis.
Recording in Los Angeles at his home studio, Monasteryo, Terence spent four months laying racks and mixing the new album. Prior to that, the songs themselves were composed quickly, in Terence's inimitable manner. "I don't write songs", he says. "They've always just come to be. Songs come to me the way a thought comes to a person. When I'm in the studio, it's natural."
Since the release of his 1987 debut album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, Terence has been a much-noticed artist. That first album sold more than 8 million worldwide, and Terence won the 1988 Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, gained a No. 1 pop/R&B crossover hit with "Wishing Well," and was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, the first African-American artist since Jimi Hendrix to do so with his debut album.
Prior to his first recording, Terence has pursued careers outside of music, though he's played numerous instruments since childhood, starting with the drums at age 6. Born in Manhattan in 1962, Terence learned to appreciate music from his parents -- in a roundabout way. His father, the Reverend James Benjamin D'Arby, was a former guitar player who idolized Elvis Presley and Little Richard before devoting his life to God. Terence's mother, Frances D'Arby, was a highly respected gospel singer. But the Darbys forbade Terence from listening to secular music. He rebelled, borrowing a transistor radio from a friend and listening to it secretly in bed, absorbing all types of music, from Marvin Gaye to the Rolling Stones.
The D'Arby family moved frequently as Terence was growing up, and he lived in New York, Florida, Chicago and New Jersey. While in Chicago, he attended a school for gifted children and sang in church to enthusiastic response. He attended college at the insistence of his parents and studied journalism, writing a newspaper column. Always somewhat of a loner growing up, Terence feels that this trait "forced me to create my own world and to tap into my imagination." He also took up boxing -- in some ways a response to his sense of isolation -- reaching Golden Gloves standard.
After college, Terence enlisted in the army and was sent to Germany, serving in Elvis Presley's old regiment. After 18 months in the rigid military system, Terence turned his life around by leaving the military and returning to his musical roots. At that time, he joined a nine-piece soul-and-funk band called The Touch. In 1986, TTD relocated to London after demo tapes brought him to the attention of Columbia Records.
With the release in 1987 of Hardline, Terence enjoyed great success in Britain, where he was heralded as the "New Prince of Pop" in a cover story by British magazine NME (New Musical Express) and went on to sell a record - breaking 2 million copied in England alone.
Terence's success was as big in the United States and elsewhere. After a year of successful touring worldwide, Terence started to work on his second album. He released the artistically eclectic Neither Fish Nor Flesh: A Soundtrack of Love Faith, Hope & Destruction in 1989.
TTD's third album, Symphony or Damn (Exploring the Tension Inside the Sweetness) was released in 1993, after a three and a half year hiatus, during which Terence moved to Los Angeles, built his home studio, relaxed away from the public eye and recorded about 50 songs. "I took a lot of time before going back into the studio to step back and answer one basic questions about myself as to who I am and what I want to do," he told Los Angeles Time at the time of its release.
Symphony or Damn went on to receive unprecendentedly favorable coverage from Rolling Stone, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Spin, Musician, the Los Angeles Times and literally scores of other publications. Musician described it as "Sgt. Pepper's as sung by Sam Cooke," while calling Terence "an extravagant talent." The album's singles, "Do You Love Me Like You Say?", "She Kissed Me" and "Delicate" went on to receive wide airplay. Symphony or Damn landed on numerous year-end "Top-10 album" lists for 1993.
With Terence Trent D'Arby's Vibrator, D'Arby continues to pursue his love of music, his vision, his spiritual growth. To the listener, Terence says this about his music: "I'm not interested in telling people what to think. My songs reflect what I've discovered. If this is of any use to you, that's great. But if it's not, I trust that you will find what you need, in your own way, in your own time and place."
