Silk

Silk is one of those handful of super groups that wields a double edged sword. If their diamond-smooth harmonies don’t get you, their authentic brand of unbridled passion will. Combine that passion with a rare kind of chivalry from an almost bygone era, and you have one of the more enigmatic entities in R&B. Their songs – infectious as always – are backed up by five young men who approach what they do with a fierce work ethic, and strength of character that is all but abandoned in today’s disposable pop environment.

Silk’s blistering new album, Tonight, captures the heat and passion that is – and always has been – Silk. With the increased lead vocal presence of their youngest and maybe most unpredictable member, John John, the group has opened up another combustible front. Tonight celebrates the return of the group from a three year absence of sorts, armed with an arsenal of sexy songs sure to launch countless nights of heated passion for fans all over the world. “It’s a much more in-your-face stance,” says John John, but it’s also Silk’s legendary poise that has always reminded listeners of some of R&B’s early classic groups. While hip hop has been saturated recently with samples that hark back to the golden era, Silk has effortlessly maintained such stature, blending an unabashed libido with tremendous musical instincts to form a seductive undertow on cuts like “If You,” and the swaggering “Playa Road.” Such gems are known as ‘Silk Territory,’ made easier, of course, when you possess among the five most signature sounding voices in all of pop.

Gary Glenn (Big G), Gary Jenkins (Lil’ G), Timothy Cameron (Timzo), Jimmy Gates Jr.(Jimmy) and Johnathen Rasboro (John John) were determined to turn it out like never before on Tonight. In other words, to let the music move the hearts, minds and ultimately bodies for old fans and new. “We knew we had to take ourselves to a whole other level,” says Lil’ G. Silk has always set a high standard for themselves, combining their acute street sensibility with the intensity and maturation level of pop/R&B veterans. It’s that delicate blend of heart and experience that embodies their newest album.

“We hooked up with Darryl Allamby (“Delite”, who has worked with Gerald Levert, LSG, among others) who produces most of the cuts,” says Big G. “We worked on it for a year. And we feel it’s a culmination of everything that Silk is about.”

“We’ve been around the block,” says Big G. “We looked at our career, realizing we did a lot of things other groups have not accomplished. Our first task was to put this album in perspective. The way we looked at it, our first album (the multiplatinum Lose Control) established our foundation. The second album (Silk) was a transition for us. On the new album, we feel we have attained the amount of experience necessary to experiment a little bit, and ground out the classic Silk stuff that our fans expect.”

Timzo points to the subtle nuances of a track like “Let’s Make Love,” as an example of the revitalized Silk at their best. “The vocals just glide,” he beams. “The leads switch on and off. I think it’s the most complete song on the album.”

Silk’s ride began with the monster success of one of the decade’s most memorable singles, the legendary “Freak Me,” which took the music world by storm in 1993. The song was one of many nuggets from their smash 1992 debut album Lose Control. For the members, who essentially grew up together, it was an affirmation of their stick-together-spirit which some of the guys had been perfecting since high school.

The album put the fivesome on the map. Working closely with their mentor Keith Sweat, the group completed a tremendously successful cycle of touring, videos, and television appearances, cementing their reputation as one of the most well liked groups in R&B. 1995’s critically acclaimed Silk followed. And though it was a critical and commercial success, the group was experiencing the growing pains that most successful vocal acts go through. “We wanted to keep our old fans happy and try to grab the new ones, too,” says John John. The album achieved gold, but set the stage for a lot of self evaluation by Silk.

“We have always felt if you get down to the essence of Silk, what you really have is soul music,” says Jimmy. “We have to be able to feel it ourselves. We have to feel it in order to be able to go out there and give our fans our all. We decided to take some time and look at our accomplishments, and look at areas where we can do better.”

The group’s own soul searching led to a new gameplan, including a management change. Sonja Norwood (manager of multi-dimensional superstar Brandy, among others) took over the reins in 1996, and further inspired the group to challenge themselves. “She has had a lot of experience of taking artists to that next level,” says Big G. “Both her and Delite are risk-takers who make you reach into yourself for that little bit extra.”

Norwood’s work ethic and expertise combined with Silk’s notorious optimism inspired the group to keep working on Tonight until they were ready to put their own stamp of approval on it. “R&B has gone through so many different modes in the past few years,” says Big G. “We wanted to come out with guns blazing. We have a rare sound. Innocent in a way, but we still can make the kind of record people will be making babies to, if you know what I mean.”

No wonder. Influences as diverse as gospel legend Kirk Franklin, superstars Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, and more flamboyant artists such as Prince and Tupac are all mentioned by the group. Along with musical influences, the members of Silk are bonded by strong moral values. “Family is important to us,” says John John. “Family and the importance of getting an education, we try to instill that in our fans wherever we go.” All members have strong gospel backgrounds, as well. When asked how they reconcile their religious beliefs with the strong sexual content of some of their songs, Jimmy. smiles “We love making music for our fans, and we have tremendous respect for our fans. Everything has its place. We sing about love and relationships. I don’t think you’d want to hear a Silk record if we strayed too far from what has always given R&B its strength. We just give it back, Silk style.”

The members of Silk have also found time to pursue their other interests as well, in recent years. Lil’ G has been hard at work on his acting bug, performing a touring version of the play “Fake Friends,” written by Michael Matthews. Other members, Timzo, John, and Jimmy have formed a production company Twenty East Music, which houses artists DSA, Klis, and Southern Misses.

Says Big G about the future: “We’re bigger Silk fans than anybody. We are extremely proud of Tonight. I think we’re serving up-to-the-minute R&B, but have a touch of those traditions that you don’t see anymore, like the Isley Brothers or The Temptations. We have a bond that you can’t manufacture or create with some formula. Maybe that’s what is really unique about us in the end, we’re true to each other first. Whether it’s “Freak Me,” or one of our new songs, like “Meeting In My Bedroom,”the strength of our music has always flowed from that bond.”