A Superhero unmasked
March 16, 2002 | 12:00am
Most superheroes have a so-called "secret identity" a convenient mask that makes it easier for them to walk amongst mortals, an alter ego that makes it easier for them to blend in with the crowd.
Superman is Clark Kent, Batman is Bruce Wayne and Spiderman is Peter Parker.
So, whats all this talk about superheroes leading to? Well, as it turned out, Brian McKnight wasnt just exactly how the public perceives him to be. Sure, hes a pop and R&B superstar, but underneath all that glam and adulation lies the heart and soul of a disciplined musician whose antsy fingers can very well do the talking.
So, who is the real Brian McKnight?
If he wanted to, he could have been another jazz piano virtuoso, wafting through the most complex changes with the virtuosity of a Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea all rolled into one.
On the other hand, he could also have been a rock guitar god, wringing ear-splitting volumes of blistering distortion at breakneck speeds. But thats not all. Wielding an electric bass, he could also outfunk all those Motown groove gods if we wanted to.
But he is, after all, a singer first and foremost. "What I can write with my words and what I can sing will take me a lot farther into the hearts and minds of people who cant fathom those types of music Id love to play," he explains.
Despite the laurels, Brian easily shrugs off the undeserved adulation. "Heres the thing about music. With every other entertainment media, we put people on a pedestal since they can do things at a level higher than what normal people do. You can see it in the sports figures, the basketball, football players, etc."
"When it comes to music, it really becomes the least common denominator," Brian rambles on. "With the advent of video, when it became important what people looked like, it completely changed the talent level. Nowadays, you dont necessarily even have to have talent... to be a megastar in the business. The most incredible musicians are doing it for the love, of which is what you should do it for, but theyre not being compensated on the same level. Its a bad picture thats painted now. I just wish it was sort of the same with music as it is with everything else."
Apparently, the guy knows where hes coming from. As early as his teens, he was already copping piano licks off Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and early Herbie Hancock records. His probing musical mind would readily dissect a Steely Dan composition or an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. "A lot of times," Brian expounds, "what you hear is not what you really hear. Its just implied."
Its an approach thats rubbed off on his early work. Asked how he manages to keep his pianistic virtuosity in check, he replied, "Ah, but its there in my records! If you listen closely to the intro of Back at One, youll see that I can go there in that Herbie Hancock mode. But then the whole rest of the song is really very simple. So, I try to figure out ways to get off musically within the context of what Im doing, and in a way that makes sense to me."
"The way Donald (Fagen) and Walter (Becker) did it, they figured out ways to make it so that it was definitely a jigsaw. Its just incredible when you get to that point," Brian adds. "I started shedding that stuff when I was 11 or 12."
His dream project, believe it or not, will be a jazz-oriented album. "Im gonna call Herbie (Hancock), Ray Brown... it would definitely be straight-ahead somewhere between Nat (King Cole), Frank (Sinatra) and Harry Connick. Ive talked to Harry about doing some sort of a Frank meets Nat, Harry meets Brian kind of thing (laughs). That would be cool," he says.
Meantime, Brian pays homage to his musical roots in his fifth album, aptly called Superhero, released locally under the MCA Universal label. "This is the first album where Ive incorporated every type of music I like. Its the first time I let people see I can rock... the first time Im also going back to a lot of that jazzier feeling," he proudly says.
True enough, the title track finds Brian at his rockingest best, emulating that AC/DC vibe with those heavy guitar riffs. But although the soloing isnt exactly in the Van Halen mode, Brian still pulls it off well.
Love of My Life, on the other hand, is a throwback to his Marvin Gaye and Prince influence. Then, theres his duet with NSYNCs Justin Timberlake on My Kind of Girl, and another collaboration with Nate Dogg and Battlecat.
"I also had a swell time working with one of my bass idols, Fred Hammond (from the Commissioned band). Growing up, I played bass because he influenced me. Doing a song with him made it all come full circle," Brian reiterates.
Martin Nievera fans will be glad to know that MCA Universal will be repackaging Brians Superhero album to include a duet Brian did with Martin, titled Thank You For Saving My Life. "Ive already recorded it, and we had a lot of fun working on that," Brian ends.
Superman is Clark Kent, Batman is Bruce Wayne and Spiderman is Peter Parker.
So, whats all this talk about superheroes leading to? Well, as it turned out, Brian McKnight wasnt just exactly how the public perceives him to be. Sure, hes a pop and R&B superstar, but underneath all that glam and adulation lies the heart and soul of a disciplined musician whose antsy fingers can very well do the talking.
So, who is the real Brian McKnight?
If he wanted to, he could have been another jazz piano virtuoso, wafting through the most complex changes with the virtuosity of a Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea all rolled into one.
On the other hand, he could also have been a rock guitar god, wringing ear-splitting volumes of blistering distortion at breakneck speeds. But thats not all. Wielding an electric bass, he could also outfunk all those Motown groove gods if we wanted to.
But he is, after all, a singer first and foremost. "What I can write with my words and what I can sing will take me a lot farther into the hearts and minds of people who cant fathom those types of music Id love to play," he explains.
Despite the laurels, Brian easily shrugs off the undeserved adulation. "Heres the thing about music. With every other entertainment media, we put people on a pedestal since they can do things at a level higher than what normal people do. You can see it in the sports figures, the basketball, football players, etc."
"When it comes to music, it really becomes the least common denominator," Brian rambles on. "With the advent of video, when it became important what people looked like, it completely changed the talent level. Nowadays, you dont necessarily even have to have talent... to be a megastar in the business. The most incredible musicians are doing it for the love, of which is what you should do it for, but theyre not being compensated on the same level. Its a bad picture thats painted now. I just wish it was sort of the same with music as it is with everything else."
Apparently, the guy knows where hes coming from. As early as his teens, he was already copping piano licks off Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and early Herbie Hancock records. His probing musical mind would readily dissect a Steely Dan composition or an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. "A lot of times," Brian expounds, "what you hear is not what you really hear. Its just implied."
Its an approach thats rubbed off on his early work. Asked how he manages to keep his pianistic virtuosity in check, he replied, "Ah, but its there in my records! If you listen closely to the intro of Back at One, youll see that I can go there in that Herbie Hancock mode. But then the whole rest of the song is really very simple. So, I try to figure out ways to get off musically within the context of what Im doing, and in a way that makes sense to me."
"The way Donald (Fagen) and Walter (Becker) did it, they figured out ways to make it so that it was definitely a jigsaw. Its just incredible when you get to that point," Brian adds. "I started shedding that stuff when I was 11 or 12."
His dream project, believe it or not, will be a jazz-oriented album. "Im gonna call Herbie (Hancock), Ray Brown... it would definitely be straight-ahead somewhere between Nat (King Cole), Frank (Sinatra) and Harry Connick. Ive talked to Harry about doing some sort of a Frank meets Nat, Harry meets Brian kind of thing (laughs). That would be cool," he says.
Meantime, Brian pays homage to his musical roots in his fifth album, aptly called Superhero, released locally under the MCA Universal label. "This is the first album where Ive incorporated every type of music I like. Its the first time I let people see I can rock... the first time Im also going back to a lot of that jazzier feeling," he proudly says.
True enough, the title track finds Brian at his rockingest best, emulating that AC/DC vibe with those heavy guitar riffs. But although the soloing isnt exactly in the Van Halen mode, Brian still pulls it off well.
Love of My Life, on the other hand, is a throwback to his Marvin Gaye and Prince influence. Then, theres his duet with NSYNCs Justin Timberlake on My Kind of Girl, and another collaboration with Nate Dogg and Battlecat.
"I also had a swell time working with one of my bass idols, Fred Hammond (from the Commissioned band). Growing up, I played bass because he influenced me. Doing a song with him made it all come full circle," Brian reiterates.
Martin Nievera fans will be glad to know that MCA Universal will be repackaging Brians Superhero album to include a duet Brian did with Martin, titled Thank You For Saving My Life. "Ive already recorded it, and we had a lot of fun working on that," Brian ends.
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