Babyface
Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds is sitting in the one place in the universe where he is probably most comfortable: his Batcave, Brandon’s Way, a private, state-of-the-art recording studio in Hollywood that he built a few years ago and named after the firstborn son of him and wife Tracey.
But this is not Babyface the producer sitting here; this is Babyface the artist.
That guy–right now looking every bit the casual pop star in faded denim bell-bottoms, a black, form-fitting, long-sleeved T-shirt emblazoned with the words, ‘Rock Theater’ and cool, designer sunglasses, all of it topped by a funky hairdo–has been on the scene way longer than the producer. He started creating hits first as member of the ’80s R&B band The Deele and then as the gifted singer, songwriter and live performer who recorded six hit solo albums.
However, Face 2 Face, Babyface’s new album–featuring the sleek, groove-hardy first hit single and Hype Williams-directed video, There She Goes–presented a whole new series of challenges for the prolific artist. The project marks several firsts: It is Edmonds’ first album of all-new material in five years and the christening release of his Nu America label, distributed by Arista, after he spent more than a decade at Sony.
Most significant though, is the fact that Face 2 Face boldly presents a Babyface not heard (or, for that matter, seen) before. The 13-song set features Babyface–who, by the way, has never had a problem crafting a hit record on his own–collaborating for the first time with such young hit makers as Tim & Bob, the Neptunes, Mike City, newcomers such as Buckwild, Anthony Nance and Afro, and even an unlikely hip hop legend, Heavy D. The result is an exhilarating, ambitious ‘Face who bravely pushes the musical envelope and fabulously redesigns himself in the arduous process. "My whole approach with this record was to learn–to push myself creatively and explore new sounds," says Edmonds.
The musical metamorphosis actually began back in 1999, when Edmonds collaborated with R&B artist Joe, who wrote and co-produced Reason For Breathing for a recent Babyface greatest hits package. "It was interesting to work with another producer; Joe came up with a great song," says Edmonds. "But it went straight to the black contemporary charts and stayed there. That’s cool, but I’ve been stuck in ‘ballad land’ for awhile and I didn’t want to be there the rest of my career."
In the meantime, Edmonds had recorded tracks for a new ‘Face album, which he now says, "felt like, you know, ‘the next Babyface album.’ The songs were good, but something was missing."
Enter veteran black music executive Andre Harrell, the president of Nu America and ultimately, co-producer of Face 2 Face. One night Harrell and Edmonds were at Manhattan’s Spa club, when Edmonds observed how frantic patrons became when the house D.J. played, I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me), by rapper Jay-Z, a track that happened to be produced by the production team of Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo, also known as The Neptunes. "I said to Andre, ‘Just once, I’d like to have a record in the clubs and people on the dance floor throwing their hands up to a Babyface song.’
"And Andre said, ‘Well, who says Babyface can’t be in the clubs, that he can’t be a grown-up and married, and still be sexy? And who says he can’t groove?’ Actually, Andre deserves a lot of credit for this record, because he was the one who suggested that I consider working with other producers.”
Still, Edmonds had to find where he musically fit in. "I needed to find my niche with up-tempo things," he says. "I can do up-tempo, no problem. But I needed to know what was believable for Babyface.”
He found the answer by lending a discerning ear to a new generation of soul music.
"New artists like Jill Scott, Donnell Jones, Bilal–they do things musically that go back to the days of Donny Hathaway, old Stevie Wonder, even jazz," he says. "But they’re doing it in a new way–different phrasing, different grooves.”"
Meanwhile, on the business side, Edmonds left Sony and joined Arista, where former production mate and longtime business partner Antonio "L.A." Reid is label president. "Kenny and I have achieved a lot together," says Reid, "but I’ve always wanted to work with Babyface, the performer. Now that he’s on Arista, I know he will bring to the label some of his magic as an artist."
Eager to pursue his musical vision, Edmonds sought collaborators whose styles would compliment his. "I wanted to add what they do to what I do," he says simply.
The results are the tracks that comprise Face 2 Face: Work It Out is an insistent groove driven by a gritty, soulful falsetto (’Face unleashes it throughout the album) that evokes vintage Curtis Mayfield; the cautionary How Can U Be Down has a jazzy sensibility that feels like Harlem soul, while the deliciously chordy Outside In, Inside Out, is cozy and cool, rivaled in soulful sexiness only by the spare, sassy Wish U Was My Girl .
Face 2 Face features Edmonds on guitar, keyboards and bass guitar (which he learned during recording) and sonically, it is certainly the warmest Babyface recording ever, exemplified by the earthy Don’t Take It So Personal and the Muscle Shoals-meets-hip hop soul exercise, I Keep Calling.
Lyrically, Edmonds stretches the Babyface persona to new heights. Past ‘Face songs might not have always ventured beyond romantic cliche. But here, the storyline of What If–a melancholy ballad about a man who ponders life with an old flame–gets inside the emotional guts of what might have been. Indeed, no Babyface album would be complete without great ballads, and the gem U Should Know, a harmony-sweet Still In Love With U and the somber, guitar-based With Him, are all advanced Babyface l0l.
In the end, Face 2 Face just might be as important to Edmonds as Music Of My Mind was to Stevie Wonder or Off The Wall was to Michael Jackson; those albums proved to be pivotal moments of redefinition, when both artists turned the creative corner. If nothing else, Face 2 Face is a blueprint for musically moving on, an example of how an artist with plenty to give gets out of a box.
"All I know is that I haven’t worked this hard on an album since the Deele days," says Edmonds. "I’d get up early in the morning with an idea and keep writing all day. I just couldn’t let it go, constantly trying to improve the songs."
With the creation of Face 2 Face behind him, Edmonds looks ahead to performing the material live. "Oh, these songs probably lend themselves to the stage more than any album I’ve ever made," he says, smiling knowingly.
"That will be a lot of fun."
