Songwriters always have music on their mind. Just ask Eric Benet. The soulful songwriter, known as much for once being “Mr. Halle Berry” as he is hits like the Tamia-featured “Spend My Life With You,” returns from a three-year hiatus with his new album, Love & Life. GIANT spoke with Benet on the set of its “Soul Power” shoot to talk his new project, getting back to basics, soul music and more.
GIANT: Congrats on the new album. What was the inspiration for it?
Eric Benet: The album is called Love & Life, mainly because I’m enjoying both of those things to the fullest right now. I really wanted the album to reflect how I am feeling and where I am in my life at right now. And I’m just in this very present, happy, evolved, mature place. Life feels good right now and I really wanted the music and lyrics to reflect that. Musically, the album is almost a tribute to R&B-different times in R&B. If you listen to the first single, “You’re The Only One,” and it definitely feels like something from the ‘70s-like a Stylistics, O’Jays-influenced joint. There are other songs on the record that at are almost more ‘80s-influenced and there’s even some ‘90s-influenced R&B. So, the whole thing is going back to the real, and just straight coming from my heart.
GIANT: What led to you getting back in the studio? When did you know it was time to record a new album? Or are you constantly recording?
EB: Well, I am a songwriter, so there’s always a stream of music flowing through my head so that doesn’t stop. So when I feel like I am in a place where I got some music that I would feel would make a good album, I just kind of put it together. I just went back to my hometown of Milwaukee and got with my partner Dante and my cousin George. It was really the first time in my career where I had complete creative control. Where I just got a check from the record label. They just let me make whatever record I wanted to make and I just went in. And once they listened to it, they said, “this is the best project you’ve ever done in your career.” I largely believe that’s because a) where I am in my life right now, and b) they really didn’t get in the way at all. There was no A&R person coming in on the last couple songs and saying, “OK, I want you to get with this guy in Atlanta or this guy in NY,” or “You need to go work with this cat or this cat.” They just left me alone. So, I think it reflects in a) the continuity of the record and b) just how the record overall… the record just feels good.
GIANT: To that end, did you work with any outside producers or did your team produce everything?
EB: I pretty much kept it all in-house except for one song I did with somebody who I always wanted to work with-Keith Crouch. And that particular song is called “Chocolate Legs.” We have been seeing each other at clubs or events over the years and we would always say, “Man, we got to get into the studio together blah blah blah…” and it would never happen. So we finally made it happen with this.
There are a couple of duets on the album where I have some talented female vocalists join me. One is a song called “Ever Love” It’s a duet I did with a very talented vocalist. Her name is Terry Dexter. It’s almost like the song I did with Tamia a few years ago–”Spend My Life.” “Ever Love” is almost like “Spend My Life” in that it has that wedding vibe. Then there’s another song that I did. The feel of the song is a mid-‘80s roller skating kind of fun vibe and that’s called “I’minlovewitchu.” I did that with this beautiful, talented Hungarian artist named Linda Kiraly.
GIANT: OK. So, as you know the piece we’re doing is on soul singers. So tell me what your definition of soul music is.
EB: Well, for me soul music is music that just kind of like comes from your heart. That heart needs to have been marinating in gospel, a little bit of jazz and a lot of soul singers from the past. That’s what I grew up listening to. That’s where my heart is musically. Al Green. Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye. But I think the strongest, most powerful soul singers always push the envelope because they’re listening to some stuff that you wouldn’t expect them to. You know, just to keep the recipe fresh and thriving and strong. I grew up listening to everything from Yes to Queen to George Clinton to Rufus and Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, in addition to The Beatles. Shoot, Van Halen… I just grew up listening to stuff based in blues and R&B. I just think the other aspect of soul music is that when I am writing a song, I am not trying to write a song that fits into a certain genre so much as I’m just letting whatever is in my heart flow. It’s almost like this authentic, organic purging of the spirit, when you’re writing. I would imagine if I were an Irish person who grew up listening to Celtic music, when my heart purged it would be Irish Celtic-sounding music but I grew up listening to mainly gospel, jazz, those soul artists that I named and thousands more and so when my heart purges or speaks that’s just what naturally comes out.
Watch Eric sing “You’re The Only One” with his daughter India here:
And for even more “Soul Power,” click here to see the exclusive behind-the-scenes video!
