OMAR & BLACK I ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’ IN SESH!
UK LEGEND OMAR’S ON THE BLOWER WITH SJP HQ. YOU
MUST KNOW WHO OMAR IS … HIS BIGGEST UK HIT STARTS WITH “BAA DOO BE WEE
OOOH … SIP A GLASS OF COLD CHAMPAGNE WYYYYYNNNEE” (‘THERE’S NOTHING
LIKE THIS’). HE ALSO CREATED A SONG CALLED ‘OUTSIDE’
CO-WRITTEN WITH LAMONT DOZIER, WHICH IN SJP’S OPINION IS ONE OF THE
BEST SOUL SONGS OF THE 90’S. SO WE CONTACTED HIM. WHY? BECAUSE IT
DOESN’T STOP WITH LIKING A SONG … WE NEED TO KNOW HOW A PERFORMANCE AS
GOOD AS ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’ (TRACK 3 ON THE SJP COMP ‘SOUL & THE CITY’)
CAME TO BE? WHAT WAS UK SOUL SUPER HERO OMAR LYE FOOK DOING DUETTING
WITH BLACK I IN NEW YORK ANYWAY? THAT’S A LONG WAY FROM SARF LONDON.
WHO THE HELL ARE BLACK I AND WHAT ARE THEY TO HIM? AND WHY COVER A SLY
& THE FAMILY STONE MONSTA IN THE FIRST PLACE?
SO MANY QUESTIONS…
THE BLACK I CONNECTION!?
OMAR:
“ERIC BROWN & MIKE GRIOT (BLACK I) PLAY FOR ME WHEN I’M OUT IN THE
STATES AND ARE PART OF MY BAND. ERIC PLAYS DRUMS AND MIKE PLAYS BASS.
THEY’RE MY RHYTHM SECTION. IT’S A BIG TERRITORY FOR ME (THE STATES). I
HAVE FAN BASES IN THE MAIN PLACES LA, SAN FRANSISCO & NEW YORK. WE
GET SOLD OUT SHOWS AND PRETTY GOOD REACTIONS.”
US SOUL BAND VS. UK SOUL BAND!?
“YOU
KNOW IT’S LIKE CHALK & CHEESE, ALL THE MUSICIANS ARE VERY
ACCOMPLISHED. THERE’S A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FEEL IN THE US BUT ALWAYS A
GOOD VIBE. THESE GUYS (ERIC & MIKE) HAVE PLAYED MY MUSIC FOR THE
BEST PART OF 5 YEARS NOW SO THEY GOT IT DOWN PAT.”
WHO’S IDEA WAS ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’!?
“I
WAS ALREADY OUT THERE AND MIKE SAID “DO YOU WANT TO COME TO THE STUDIO,
AND PUT DOWN A VIBE ON THE TRACK?” AND I WAS LIKE “OF
COURSE MAN!” BECAUSE I’D DO ANYTHING FOR THOSE GUYS … THEY’VE COME
THROUGH FOR ME QUITE A FEW TIMES SO I WAS RETURNING THE FAVOUR. THE
TRACK WAS ALREADY DONE. IT WAS QUITE SIMPLE … NO PRESSURE.”
DO YOU GO IN THERE TO “OMAR” UP A COVER!?
“YEAH
I TRY TO. I HAVE TO IN A SENSE BECAUSE ITS VERY HARD FOR ME TO DO OTHER
PEOPLES SONGS WITHOUT PUTTING MY OWN THING ON IT. IF YOU’RE GONNA DO A
COVER YOU GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE ADDING SOMETHING TO IT OTHER THAN
RECREATING BECAUSE THAT’S JUST KARAOKE. WITH ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’ I WAS
JAMMING ALONG WITH WHAT THEY PUT DOWN ALREADY. ERIC’S GOT A WICKED
VOICE SO I TRIED TO COMPLIMENT WHAT HE’D DONE.”
CHEERS OMAR. AND THANK U LUCIA FOR THE HOT LINE!
THE
EXCELLENT ‘SING (IF YOU WANT IT)’ OMAR’S 6TH ALBUM IS OUT NOW. THE SJP
SWAG FAVOURITE IS ‘YOUR MESS’ – THE RECORD FEATURES COLLABS WITH ANGIE
STONE, ESTELLE & LIL’ STEVIE WONDER -