Shayne
Half of Brayne
Number of posts: 5810
Age: 17
Location: WA
Came on: 2008-11-28
 |  Subject: Chron.com Article About HOV + 2 Video Interviews.  Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:20 am | |
| | Quote: | Blake Lewis gets adventurous on Heartbreak on Vinyl
By JOEY GUERRA POP MUSIC WRITER
Oct. 11, 2009, 11:11PM
Blake Lewis sings of demise and disappointment during Heartbreak on Vinyl, the title track from his newly released second disc. It's a fitting theme.
“For me, it's kind of a sad day (to see stores closing). I live in Seattle, and we have tons of indie record shops I've been going to my whole life,“ he says, calling from home in Washington. “The song is just kind of an ode to those places where I fell in love with music, becoming an audiophile and a DJ. I'd buy vinyl all the time.”
Lewis' own first vinyl purchase: Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock — It Takes Two. But his wistful tune (“Heartbreak on vinyl was for people like us, to fall in love in analog and never let go”) has a double meaning.
“It was the first time I‘d ever been heartbroken. I was working on this (record) at that end period, when you're kind of going back and forth. We were moving some of her stuff out,” Lewis says of a failed relationship.
“It was definitely me, making my mistakes that I usually do in relationships. I'm a repeat offender.”
Professionally, Lewis has fared a bit better. Heartbreak on Vinyl was issued last week, his first release under the dance-friendly Tommy Boy label. It's an adventurous trip through nightclubs and nightlife, held steady by Lewis' emotive vocals.
He produced several tracks alongside Dave Audé (Pussycat Dolls), Jean Baptiste (Will.I.Am, Black Eyed Peas) and the ever-in-demand Rodney Jerkins (Lady Gaga, Britney Spears), who worked on a seminal album in Lewis' collection.
“Michael Jackson's Invincible was super-inspiring. There's beat-boxing on there — it's crazy — on almost every song,” Lewis says.
“People ask who inspired me to beat box. Michael Jackson is definitely it. Rodney brought that out on (Invincible).
Lewis also cites Duran Duran and Depeche Mode as influences that bring out a “nostalgic feeling” in his work. You can mostly hear it in his vocals, which give several songs a melancholy edge.
The blond(ish) beat-boxer finished second to Jordin Sparks on the sixth season of American Idol. He was a welcome oddity amid all the wannabe divas and bland pretty boys. Lewis radically reworked his tunes every week and delivered one of the show's best performances (a daring take on Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name).
Forget the overhyped rockers. Lewis was one of the show's original daredevils. And he took what he could from the experience.
“I didn't learn much on Idol. I was doing my job — singing, dancing, putting on a show for the people,” he says.
Audio Day Dream, Lewis' first post-Idol disc, was released in late 2007. (Single How Many Words, however, managed to become a club hit.) Lewis was released from his contract but kept busy with DJ collaborations and guest spots.
But now, he's finally ready for the world to give his heartbreak a spin.
“Hopefully, it makes them want to dance and move and drive fast in their car. I set out to make a fun record,” he says. “There's definitely some melancholy feeling. Some of the songs are kind of sad.
“It's all what you get from music. People will hear something and take what they need from it. I hope people do that with it.” |
_________________   [12-4-07] "I want a hug!" [11-7-08] "You need a chatroom." [11-11-08] "I almost cried seeing this." [7-21-09] Shayne's Art;; ♫! |
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Blak3rGirl
Hero Blaker
Number of posts: 2910
Age: 15
Location: NH
Came on: 2008-11-27
| | Subject: Re: Chron.com Article About HOV + 2 Video Interviews. Sat Oct 17, 2009 3:07 pm | |
| LOVELOVELOVE ! Interviews. ♥ _________________ ♥ 8-5-2009.  |
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rooochh
Baby Blaker
Number of posts: 183
Came on: 2008-11-27
| | Subject: Re: Chron.com Article About HOV + 2 Video Interviews. Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:24 pm | |
| Long live Blake's interviews <3 |
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