Khaleel

THE ALBUM: Growing up in a working-class section of the north Bronx, Bob Khaleel would sometimes sit on a park bench and spend hours watching the world walk by. “There was an endless parade of all kinds of people — construction workers, secretaries, school kids — and I’d sit there and make up little movies in my mind about them. Even now, if I’m at an airport or a gig, wherever, one of my favorite things to do is to observe the human race.”

With the release of Khaleel’s new album, “People Watching,” those “little movies” have evolved into songs of unusual depth and passion, inspired by the human condition. Created by Bob Khaleel and produced and mixed by Matt Wallace (The Replacements, Sheryl Crow, Faith No More), the songs on “People Watching” revolve around simple pop melodies but contain confessions of the soul sung by a man with a rich capacity for expression.

“No Mercy,” the album’s opening track and first single, provides a wealth of images left wide open for listener interpretation. It’s a stunning song about the careless and short-sighted manner in which man has treated the earth and her natural resources. “Daddy’s Little Girl” explores the relationship between a father and daughter, and the bittersweet emotions he experiences at the thought of her growing up and leaving home.

Songs like “Free” and “Feels Like Home” examine the need for spiritual and emotional self-preservation — sometimes you have to give to yourself. “The One” details the struggle of addiction through the eyes of a friend trying desperately to help: “Can I write a letter to my dearest friend/I can see the beginning of your nearing end/If I could only be the one to help you.”

THE EVOLUTION: After a childhood highlighted by stickball games backlit by Yankee Stadium, the irresistible beats and rhymes of a growing musical movement drew Bob in. Influenced by early hip-hop pioneers like Zulu Nation, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Melle Mel, and the Cold Crush Brothers, Bob assumed the name Bronx Style Bob and became a diligent soldier in the hip-hop nation. Bronx Style Bob became a fixture in the vibrant scene that was downtown Manhattan in the early ’80s, eventually recording and sharing the stage with his heroes. “It was the most beautiful time, and an incredible experience. It was all about breaking boundaries and getting together — punk rock and hip-hop, gay people and straight people, black, white and brown … graffiti artists from the street with Andy Warhol. I was 15 years old, and it was pure paradise.”

Bob migrated to the West Coast in the early ’90s after being recruited by ICE-T and the Rhyme Syndicate. But hip-hop was changing and Bob was evolving artistically. In 1992 he emerged with the critically acclaimed “Grandma’s Ghost.” “Rolling Stone” magazine named Bronx Style Bob best new artist that year: “Talk about versatile, Bob can croon modern R&B seduction and bark gleeful speedpunk, as well as throw down ace hip-hop rhymes. He is a true original.”

Bob’s eclectic musical vision took on a new form in the mid-’90s as he pumped up the volume at the helm of the five piece rock group Super 8. After recording an album with producer Rick Parashar, the soulful rock band took to the stage, jammin’ on the H.O.R.D.E. tour and living out every arena rock fantasy by opening for AC/DC.

After over a year of nonstop touring, Bob took a little time to regroup, reflect and reintroduce himself to the simple pleasures of songwriting. “I was in a time of uncertainty,” says Bob. “The only expectations I had were directed at writing honestly and having fun again within the songs, and basically not having any expectations.” Fostered by beats and melodies, introspection and harmony, 10 songs and 12 months later a new identity emerged. Featuring such diverse guest artists as members of Fishbone and Poe, Jellyfish alumni Roger Manning and Jason Faulkner, Sarah Bettens of K’s Choice, Mary Harris of Spearhead, Josh Freese of the Vandals, and Lyle Workman, “People Watching” is Khaleel’s most ambitious and mature work yet.

“The album,” says Bob, “is just a collection of ideas made by a group of harmonic vendors; we push a cart of harmony in hope that people get something that’s good for them. Music is a cafeteria providing food for thought, so whether famished or full, dinner is served.”