•
ENTERTAINMENT
IN BRIEF
I
After fiv long yea ,
Lion I Riehl i b c with an
lbum that' rt new nd
m tly retr pectiv. 'Back
To Front" is a hi h not in
wh t h been Ion and
difficult hi tu. Ther w
the very public br ak-up of
Richi ' marriag • hi ather
pa ed away, and h 's had
throat surgery. But now
with his ingle, "Do It To
Me" at th top of th cha ,
it looks like Richie has put
his life back together.
"I t was necessary for me
to slow down for a minute
and put things in balance,"
Richie ys. "I needed th
time off, and get back to the
personal side of Lionel
Richie." While his car r
was running like a well-oiled
machine, pumping out hit
after hit, Lionel Richie's
personal life had slipped into
disarray.
But 1987 after the" Danc­
ing On The Ceiling" album,
Lionel made the decision to
slow down-prompted in
part by his father's failing
health. "When you really
start thinking back," the su­
perstar reflects, "how many
family reunions did I miss?
How many Christmas' did I
miss? How many friends
had problems ... died, I
wasn't there. I was top
heavy. A great success
story, but I was not doing the
full human being thing, and
I needed to stop for a mo­
ment. I guess what got my
attention was my father get-
tintltmll'rJ"fI mill1�
his ti out 0' lim light
ended up being more public
than he ever imagined. The
1988 fight between his ex­
wife Brenda and another
woman began a public or­
deal filled with sordid
publicity. "I've never dealt
with press like that before,"
Richie says. "A man argu­
ing with his wife,-no big
deal. Lionel Richie arguing
with his ex-wife-big deal.
What happens is it gets
blown out of proportion.
You know how hard it is to
keep a relationship together
with just two people-put
20 million in there, and have
them send cards and letters,
giving you their opinion on
how you can solve' their
problems."
ALL OF THAT bad
press tarnished Lionel's
reputation and he says­
with some relief-knocked
him off his pedestal. "What
it made me do was come off
that pedestal and get believ­
able again, because, I
couldn't carry that."
Now that he's on his own,
lionel says for him being
single isn't all that great.
"I'm not fascinated about it
at all-this single thing. I
think I'll always be a hope- .
less romantic, in the fact that
family has always been my
foundation, and even right to
this day, Brenda and I are
very close, and our daughter
Nicole has been a great
equalizer between the two of
us, so it's wonderful."
Indeed, focused and
centered, Lionel Richie has
come full circle. After 18
years, Lionel is leaving Mot­
won for a $30 million deal
with Mercuy Reocrds. He'll
make five albums and pro­
vide a greatest hits package.
And it seems for Lionel
"Back To Front" is more
than just an album title.
- compiled by K. Barks
- special contributor:
RadioScope ... The Column
"Our music has reverence for
the past and innovation for the
future," proclaim Eugene Hanes
and Marc Valentine, who com­
prise the nucleus of Mass Order.
The name, which means music
for the masses, indicates their
desire to please a wide range of
people by incorporating variety
and heartfelt emotion into their
songs. Targeting an adult
audience who appreciate the soul
music of the late- '70s, Mass
Order has found a nich creating
music that has depth and lon­
gevity.
Maybe One Day is the duo's
debut album for Columbia.
Eugene and Marc wrote and ar­
ranged the lion's share of the
songs with songwriting partner
Loren Hill, with whom they've
also formed Shoe Soul Produc­
tions Inc. Together, they hope to
produce other acts, as well as
their own future material.
Meanwhile, Hanes and Valen­
tine collaborated on the produc­
tion aspects of their debut album
with the Basement Boys (whose
credi include Crystal W tera
tic omp.ny
signed. WPGC mixologist Geof­
frey Curtis introduced Ma s
Order to the Basement Boys near­
ly one year ago, before the
Maryland-based producers had
scored with Crystal Waters and
Ultra Nate.
Get Happy." "We w nted to
more live instrumen... real
b , wah-wah lead guitar. We
w nt to bring b c the production
style that w popular in the I te­
'70s. Lyrically, we included the
tune to chieve balance with the
rest of the album. We had already
hit certain subjec and we needed
a ong that w very uplifting,
that could get people up out of
bed and start their day in a good
mood."
Many of the ong on the
album deal with love and
relationships, but the title track,
"Maybe One Day" drives home a
timely message. "We wanted to
keep the music simple so people
will pay attention to the lyrics,"
notes Valentine. "It's a way to
offer some hope but at the same
time be realistic about what we're
dealing with out there. The world
is in a state of despair right now.
We didn't want to focus solely on
the pain." '
Geared towards urban radio,
"He's Sweating You" combines a
pervasive bass line with a lyric
th t examines relationship •
wi
things that make you fall out of
love with a person. The song tell
a story about that, " says Eugene.
"Runaway Love" and "Com­
plications" examine other aspects
of the emotional spectrum, cover­
, ing experiences everyone can re-
late to. Three sensational ballads
round out the album: "Let Me
Show You" and "Spend the Night"
feature Kim Waters on sax; while
ttl Wanna Be Your Love", entices
and cajoles in spellbinding,
romantic style.
"We were a bit apprehensive
about signing, with the Basement
Boys at first," Marc states em­
pha ticall y . "We're not a house
group and don't want to be
pigeonholed into that sound."
Hanes, a 25 year-old Virgo and
Marc, a 23 year-old Aquarian,
both admit to being very stub- A common value system
born. Hanes, whose voice bears created by their mutual upbring­
the timbre of a Teddy ing in Columbia, Maryland ce­
Pendergrass, has nothing but ments the bond of Mass Order.
praise for the Basement Boys. Both Eugene and Marc come
"They're openminded to any- from families who stress educa­
thing we want to try. The atmos- tion as a priority. "We're the
phere in the studio is very relaxed black sheep of our families,"
and conducive to putting together laughs Hanes, "but now our
a record." "
parents are our biggest fans.
"Lift Every Voice (l'ake Me Eugene was born in Winston­
Away), " the first single is a soul- . S lem, North Carolina, and was
ful house anthem that alludes to raised in the tough southea t see­
the musical heritage of the '60 tion of Washington" D.C., before
and '70s. "The song i a tribute to his family moved to Columbia.
all types of artists who have given His childhood forte was writing
the current era of music ita back- poetry and movie scripts, while
ground," confirms Hanes. "We're hi vocal talent developed
paying homage to some of the mimicking Motown artists in the
singers like Sylvester and Loleat- shower. On the other hand,
ta Holloway who have inspired Marc's parents bought him a
us. We've come full circle. What drumsetatthetenderageofeight.
we hear now is t chnological He began playing b when he
disco. " was 12 and graduated to key-
boards in high school.
"�EDIDN'TWA Titto.be
so MIDI-oriented," Marc ex- THE TWO CITE Marvin
plains of Mass Order's sound, ex- Oaye, the Temptations, QUc, the
emplified by the infectious "Let's Whispers, d the I ley Brothers
Marc Valentin (left) and Eugene Hane (right).
among their influences; but
Eugene also admired the diverse
songwriting of Jim Croce, Cat
Stevens, and Three Dog Night.
"Growing up in Columbia has its
pros and cons," he admits. "The
kids are color blind. There is ra­
cial harmony between people that
doesn't exist most places. "
Hanes and Valentine decided
to put their musical dreams
together about three years ago.
They recorded one of their songs
on to Vaughn Mason's (Raze)
answering machine and he called
back to offer them a deal. They
. released a 12-inch titled "Tribula­
tion" on Mason' Grove Street
One Day. "We want thi album to
make you feel before it makes
you think," insists Marc. "We
figured if we made 'Maybe OM
Day' the title cut, it would give
the album a com pre hen ive
theme."
"In the past two or three
years, " adds Eugene, "I think pop
music was lacking soul-no IUb­
stance. There was no' aesthetic
quality to the music, and the video
age has trivialized music." Mus
Order intends to change all that
with music that reflects the gamut
of emotions and experiences we
all share in common.
label.
When Mass Order first played'
their material for the Basement
Boys, their new producers were
eager to create a buzz on the
group. They distributed mixes of
the songs on cassette to contacts
at several record labels. As it
turned out, a bootlegger acquired
the tape and created havoc for
Mass Order in London, Canada,
and Washington. The D.C.-based
bootlegger eventually turned
himself in, enabling the group to
confront him and vent their
frustra tion.
Mass Order is philosophical
on their aspirations �or Maybe
The Indiana Black Expo Art exhibit Committee Is looking for and aaftsman of th
AfrIcan American cultures for a newty formed Artists Market to be held thls fall during the Coca
Cola Circle City Classic, October 2- 4 at Union Station In downtown Indlanapoll .
Marketplace 1992 will be a juried exhibition of original art and hand made works created by
African American artists. These works will be available for sale to the general public and VISI1t01"8
to the Circle City Classic that weekend.
All Interested a:tists are encouraged to apply. .
. Application may be obtained by calling the Expo, Office at 317-925-2702, or 313/927-3297
or by writing to: Coca Cola Circle City Classic Marketplace 1992 c/o Indiana Black Expo 3130'
Suthertand Avenue IndianapoliS, IN 46205.
Application deadline is August 15th ..