Justin Timberlake may have brought sexy back, but Al B. Sure is bringing romance back with his new album Honey I’m Home on Hidden Beach and due out June 23. It’s been 22 years since he released the classic, In Effect Mode, an album which has essentially become the blueprint for artists like Usher, Genuine, Robin Thicke and even the aforementioned Timberlake. After doing radio for the past 10 years, the veteran crooner says it was just “time to get back on the bike.” With a smooth album full of layered production and Al’s signature vocals, this is just the ride that fans have been waiting for.
–jh
Why’d you decide to go with Hidden Beach?
I’m not an artist that follows trends. It was a great marriage and its great working with a label of that nature where the executives actually understand music. Steve McCeever was formerly the president of Motown and was responsible for hit records. It’s all about the music. … I’m not some of the younger generations of artists. I’m staying in my lane.
What do you want fans to take away from this album?
All this album is, is the grown up version of In Effect Mode. It’s just me driving in my lane. I wanted to do a record minus the calling women “h’s” and “b’s.” The album is basically a combination of me doing radio over the past 10 years and hearing every story from every person [from] every walk of life. There are common denominators with every man and woman, black, white, blue, green or purple. We all love one thing — music.
Do you think the music has suffered from the lack of romance?
I wouldn’t say it suffered. Every decade, music turns again. I think we’ve turned back to the organic feel. I think in the 2000s it went to this really technological style of music. After a while people’s ears get tired of it and they want to go back to the real feel of analog music with real instrumentation and real chord progressions, you starve for it because it’s an organic part of your life. But you always have to go back home, like the title says, Honey, I’m Home.
You recently publicly reconciled with your son. Why are father-son relationships so important?
I didn’t recently publicly reconcile. I would never engage in a public debate on any private family matter. But at the end of the day I love my boy, and their amazing and talented and great human beings. We’re just fine. We’re wonderful.
