Introducing Gordon Chambers

Product Description

Gordon Chambers is a Soul Music veteran, but is principally known as a songwriter. Over the past dozen years the Jamaican born Chambers has penned tunes for a virtual Who’s Who of modern urban adult contemporary singers, including Whitney Houston, Carl Thomas, Stephanie Mills, Gladys Knight, Gerald LeVert and Phyllis Hyman. He also earned a songwriting Grammy Award in 1995 for Anita Baker’s I Apologize. Most recently he wrote the smash hit Gotta Go Solo for Patti LaBelle and Ron Isley. In addition to his work with other artists, he has been involved with a number of New York youth organizations, including the Bay Shore Schools Arts Education Fund and Boys Harbor. In 2004, after years of supporting others, Chambers decided to put his own career as a singer up front and began working on his debut album with noted producers Barry Eastmon (who co-wrote I Apologize), Troy Taylor and Brian Bacchus. Other artists also helped in the process, including Carl Thomas, Roy Hargrove and Glenn Lewis. The result of their effort is the CD Introducing Gordon Chambers. Introducing Gordon Chambers is an excellent debut album that successfully straddles the Urban Adult Contemporary/Smooth Jazz fence while resurrecting some of the pleasant grooves of mid- 80s nuevo soul. Chambers shows his varied influences throughout the disc, including Marvin Gaye (Can I Touch You There), Glenn Lewis (Never Fall In Love), Jeffrey Osborne (The Only One) and David Sanborn (I Miss You Most) (he even borrows a bridge from British band Spandau Ballet on Slippin Away), and uses them to create a smooth sonic amalgamation around his strong compositions. As a singer, Chambers has a pleasant, rather unassuming tenor voice. The fact is, though, Introducing Gordon Chambers is a songwriter’s album and there’s not a bad track in the bunch. The album is highlighted by several top notch midtempo cuts, including My Valentine (previously recorded by Thomas), the nifty duet with Sara Devine, Still In Love, and Chambers’ affirmative, uplifting anthem, Always Be Proud. Similarly strong is Chambers’ venture into his own notable past, a jazzy cover of I Apologize. SoulTracks readers know I’m a sucker for strong Soul ballads and Introducing has two of them: I’ll Miss You Most is a forlorn love song accentuated by Mike Phillips’ wonderful sax solo, and The Only One is the perfect album closer, a marriage proposal set to acoustic piano. Kudos to Chambers and producers Barry Eastmond, Brian Bacchus and Troy Taylor for putting together one of the best adult albums we’ll hear this year. Let’s hope that Urban Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz radio pick up on this excellent disc. Like Kevin Whalum’s Timetable was for many SoulTracks readers last year, this is a surprise treat of an album. And for lovers of sophisticated soul, this is a disc that shouldn’t be missed. Very highly recommended. -Soultracks.com

About the Artist

Gordon Chambers is no stranger to the music industry. In fact, he has been writing songs since the age of 7! The Teaneck, New Jersey native is currently signed to L.A. Reid’s prestigious Hitco Music publishing company where has written for over 60 recording artists, including household names Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Brandy, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan and Marc Anthony. He is best known for his 1994 Grammy- winning hit I Apologize for Anita Baker and his 1995 #1 Grammy-nominated smash If You Love Me for the trio Brownstone (which was later featured as the theme song of the film Living Out Loud). More recently, the eight-time ASCAP winner has written for superstars Patti Labelle and Ron Isley (Gotta Go Solo), as well as penned tunes for superstars Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown (My Love), R&B crooner Carl Thomas (My Valentine), breakthrough soul singer Angie Stone No More Rain (In This Cloud) and pop sensation Beyonce (After All Is Said And Done). Over the years, his compositions have been performed at the ESSENCE awards, the American Music Awards and the Goodwill Games–as well as six major motion pictures. Now in his tenth year in the business, song writing still doesn’t feel like a job to the Brooklyn-based still-single Chambers. It is, instead, he says, a labor of love and a dream come true. As a way of giving back, he performs for charities and frequently speaks to students all over the country. He has received community service awards from the New York youth organizations Boys Harbor and the Bay Shore Schools Arts Education Fund,. Over the last two years, Chambers has been performing up a storm in new york city, where he has just finished and released his debut album Introducting Gordon Chambers which features special guests Carl Thomas, Glenn Lewis, Roy Hargrove and Mike Phillips. This has been a labor of love, he says. After working with so many of my idols, the time came for me to work on my own project and express some things that only I could say. Produced by Chambers with Troy Taylor (B2K), Barry Eastmond (Anita Baker) and Brian Bacchus (Norah Jones), the album is classic R&B with hints of his first love: jazz. Chambers has recently done sold-out New York City showcases at BB Kings, Joe’s Pub, S.O.B’s and will be appearing at many more venues in the fall. Stay tuned.