Check out the local Seattle music magazine Disheveled! You’ll find CD and concert reviews, a local music calendar and some killer features, including a new one: Will the Real Blake Lewis Please Stand Up!
Seriously, you do not want to miss this article. I could easily cut and paste a teaser, but I’m going to make you click the link to read all the juicy tidbits on Blake’s involvement with the Seattle music scene, his upcoming album and which song he plans to release as his first single. Plus more, including pics and vids!
Thanks Profitt!
This article is probably the clearest in describing the CD situation
Unless I’m misunderstanding it sounds like 19E is helping with the CD. IMO if they’re choosing to manage him and let him put out the kind of CD he wants I think it shows they have faith in him even if Clive Davis doesn’t.
All I can say is WOW after reading that article. SLTW as his first single would be more than fine with me. I can’t be belive that Jealousy and all those performed at the Nectar was learned the night before. Amazing.
Lisa, I agree that it sounds like 19E is behind Blake 0 :)
I too am excited about SLTW.
I love this article forever.
I heart this part about Blake the fanboy.
Lisa,
That’s the interpretation I got from it also.
PJ, that was one of the parts I loved too. Blake the fanboy just makes me smile. :)
I need to digest this fully before I comment on it. But, like Michelle, I love this article.
The part about asking if he would be able to use his loop pedals and then being told “on tour you can, so if you get in the top 10 you go on tour”
That is why he kept saying that 10th place was like first in all his post idol interviews. He wanted to be able to show who he really was as a musician and not some guy who does cover songs. And now that he it touring, that is what most people are impressed and talking about is his version of SWBL. I do think there is a record lable all lined up for Blake also…we just have to wait until the end of August to see who.
I love the article! I hope SLTW becomes the first single! i can see the music video now, *goes of to day dream*!
the fanboy is too cute!
i am soo excited, i love SLTW it is going to be awesome if he puts that song on his album!
Great article! Thanks!
Love the way Blake describes his love for music and I am excited that 19 are backing him all the way.
Do you guys think SLTW will be good for his first single? Will they play it on the radio? I dunno.
I love the song but I don’t know if it’s the right one to be released to radio.
Anyways, I trust Blake and I trust 19. So I think in the end they will make the right decision.
Seems to me this article is not new. Maybe the interview happened when Blake was in Seattle for his homecoming. Anyways, all is good.
Yay Blake!
Wow. What a great article! I love how seriously he takes his art and his roots. He’s brought so much attention to the Seattle scene again. I’m still anxious about the CD/management situation, but mostly because I’m just excited. He’s hopefully getting what he wants on the CD and it shouldn’t be any other way. He is a real artist, and *nobody* should try to rein that in. SLTW is such an intense song… steamy, sexy, and beautiful.
that article is AMAZING!!
SLTW is soo definitely fierce. even tho it may not be ‘radio-friendly’ i think its gonna happen! this makes it even more real, yay blake!!!!!!
didnt someone have the lyrics to SLTW? i was wondering about those…
also random fyi, they have plaid trucker-style hats at american eagle, i bought one yesterday and wore to warped tour, and am definitely wearing it to the concert!! just a heads up.
Checking in from my lunch break to love on this article. ♥ ♥ ♥
His relationship (partnership?) with 19 is really interesting, isn’t it? It definitely sounds like Blake is pleased with their arrangement.
A friend of mine *waves in case she’s lurking* has a different perspective…she thinks that perhaps 19 didn’t want Clive screwing up things with $$Blake$$ the way he did with Bo, Justin, etc. so THEY (19, Simon Fuller, whoever) may have advised Blake not to sign with ODL.
Again, who knows? It’s all just rumors and speculation at this point. I’m sure the truth will come out eventually.
I don’t know how I feel about “She Loves The Way” as the first single. I’m kinda tired of it and ready for something new! Although a slickly-produced studio version could end up being as good as new.
I feel the same. I like it but I am ready to listen to the new stuff he is working on.
That brief clip of the song “She is Gonna Give In” on you tube when he was in the studio with Steph Jones and Ryan Tedder sounds awesome. I wouldn’t bet yet that SLTW will be the single.
A lot of things can change in few days. As I said, I trust Blake and his management. They will release to radio the song they think is the best for him.
If Blake wants “She Loves the Way” as his first single, I have no doubt it will be. A studio version of that could be REALLY hot. I can’t wait to hear it.
Star, your friend has a good point.
If Clive signs more than one, he typically focuses all his efforts on the winner (or *cough*whoeverheseesasthecashcow*cough*) and gives the others just whatever.
Justin Guarini and Diana DeGarmo were just left to flounder around. It doesn’t seem like they got any real direction from him, and they definitely got cast off songs. Their albums were not good at all. So I don’t think it’s harsh to say that after seeing the direction he advised both Bo Bice and Kat McPhee to go in, I’m not sure I trust his judgement on how the runnersup should handle their careers.
Sounds like Blake has been advised well from the beginning, management-wise. However, I’m still not buying that 19M is paying for his studio time. A record company does that, not a management company. They might have hooked him up with the right people, but I really doubt they’re paying for the producers, musicians, studio time, etc. Anyway…
No, the article is new. We received a notification about it yesterday. However, the interviews and performances that the article talks about happened when Blake went back to Seattle after the finale and press tour, but before he went back to LA for tour rehearsals.
FWIW I just found this recap from a girl who attended the afterparty M&G in LA. It’s from theTWOP forum:
Well… Apparently all the guys say that Chris Rich is a great songwriter so I can’t wait to hear it. (On the Maroon 5 tip). Sounds good to me.
I read that post over there also. I think the album will be amazing although I agree that we can’t count that SLTW will be the first single. I guess we will have to just wait and see. I’m more anxious to hear the new material myself.
I’ve been wondering what kind of music Chris R writes. I like that he’s influenced by John Mayer and Jason Mraz but I don’t think we’ve actually heard any of his stuff yet.
Any thoughts on She’ll Give In (the song B sampled a bit for us in that Steph Jones/Ryan Tedder video)?
This article makes my heart *SQUEE*!
RE: radiofrendiness of SLTW
Blake changed AI, why can’t SLTW change radio?
I like Blake’s material, but SLTW will not find a place in radio. You can do fusion and make it on radio, but the song needs a hook. As of now, I don’t hear one in that song. You have to approach it like someone who has never heard of Blake Lewis before. He has other songs with better hooks that can find a place in radio. You don’t want the same thing that is happening to Clarkson happen to Blake.
Maybe if the arrangement is fleshed out a bit and the chord progressions are easier to hear, then the song may be stronger. As it is though, I’m hoping Fuller and Blake’s team opts for another song.
I agree with you nyla, but I think B is pretty much set on SLTW being the single. It seems there are other factors other than the strictly musical making this his “baby”.
Let’s cross our fingers that BT or whoever ends up working with him on it can shine it up into something for mass consumption (I feel kind of bad writing that for some reason.)
The thing with B is that the music I’ve heard so far from him is a bit beyond radio. They definitely work in a live/club setting, which makes sense because that’s where he’s from and that’s what they were written for.
The recent hints we’ve had though about the 80s influences (remember sting meeting neverending story), the snippet from the Steph Jones vid and today’s Chris Rich comment about a Maroon 5-ish song makes it sound like a lot of the album will be new material. Hopefully they were all created with studio/radio in mind and will work for airplay.
Michelle,
I totally agree with the concern that most of you have about SLTW being the first single but also I like the sound of these influences in the album since over the years I’ve sort of become a big Police nut (gotta love Sting!
) and the more I listen to Maroon 5, the more I become a fan! 
If the song is reworked into something that could make it marketable for radio, then it could actually become at least a modest hit.
Well one thing to keep in mind re: SLTW as the first single is that as Sarah pointed out, the interview portion of this article was done the week Blake was home, right after the finale. He probably hadn’t recorded any of his new songs then (& maybe not even *heard* them) so he might’ve had a change of heart since then.
Anyway, I ♥ this article so much I read it again. I love the part where B talks about meeting Doug E Fresh and ciphering with him. How Blake described feeling after that…is pretty much how I felt after Blake’s looped version of “She Will Be Loved” in Nashville.
*round of applause for Disheveled*
I think SLTW just needs to be cleaned up so to speak. We are hearing such a raw version of that song; and according to Cisco, Blake wrote that song about 10 min. or so before perfoming it that night it was taped. Plus Blake is so into improve he could have kept singing that song for like a week. Remember he is “diva with the mic:)”, love that he said that.
I agree Michelle that if BT or whoever can shine it up it could be ready for radio. That is why you have producers and others in the studio who are backing you up. Plus I know we have listened to his songs ALOT, but there are so many more who haven’t. Jealousy if sped up alittle I think could also do very well. That and Dumpty Humpty are songs that Blake wrote but he had never perfomed them with the guys before. So like I said all of the songs that we are seeing on You Tube are so raw. Imagine what they could be like in the right hands:)
Anne,
That’s a very good point. I guess we will just have to wait and trust that Blake is doing the right thing. Some producers can take songs and do wonders with them.
I agree. That’s key.
All of Blake’s songs have potential, including Emotional Waterfalls which I love. They just need some tuning for radio play and they are set to go.
IMO Blake’s voice is perfect for radio these days, He is just so contemporary.
I am sure Fuller knows about this and they will make the right decision for his debut single.
Can’t wait to hear the Sting song and also the Maroon5ish song Chris R wrote for him. So exciting!
whats this song that he was doing with the guy from one republic on youtube that you guys are talking about?? :( how have i missed this?! i saw the interview thing they were talkin about with blake and the guy from one republic, but i havent heard the song!
Blake sings a little snippet of it in the YouTube vid with Steph Jones.
RE: SLTW (sorry to post after myself…)
Any way you cut it, SLTW will have to be reworked and tweaked if it’s going to be put out for radio play. For one thing, it’s way too long in the YouTube vid that Cisco shot, not to mention it’s a really raw recording. I really do think that BT (or whoever is helping out our Bshorty) will have good enough skill to rearrange/edit SLTW down to a reasonable length for radio. Remember you guys, Blake brings da skilz when it comes to rethinking songs. I don’t think we will have anything to worry about if Blake does, indeed, put out SLTW as his first single. On the other hand, I’m totally stoked to hear all the new stuff he’s working on…the CRich song, in particular!
From what I have seen on youtube SLTW is not radio friendly as a 1st single on the average radio station. Its a great song and I don’t want it to be editted whatsoever, it just doesn’t have the hook to catch on. I think Jealousy and my personal favorite, Dumpty Humpty, have hooks that will be more radio friendly.
I agree Karen. IMO Dumpty Humpty has a great catch. I think SWBL is mostly a great song to watch him perform but not for the radio. Emotional Waterfalls IMO also could be radio friendly.
ANyways, I am pretty sure that at this stage of the game, his management and label will consider all those issues and will make the best decision for his first single. I have a feeling it will be one of his new songs. BUt who knows? Let’s just trust his team.
What a kick ass article, thanks for the link.
i agree, i think once they edit it, then SLTW could be a good single, maybe not the first single, becuause i think its not the “it” song as a first choice.
i like SLTW but it doesn’t seem like a good choice though… and besides us fans have heard it 204783029840328 times we want new stuff!
also i mean that song alone could get him parental advisery on his CD haha
LMAO. So true. He would be the first American Idol with a Parental Advisory on his cd. Either way I don’t want him to sanitize the song to appease the parents with kiddies. I want the real deal.
Can’t wait.
Okay, this sorta random but I saw this Mark Ronson video on VH1 just now…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVvo_s6cyZQ
I could imagine some of Blake’s tracks sounding like this. (that song even has some “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” in it, hee!)
edited to replace with a better-sounding version
I like Mark Ronson’s music. Granted his album is cover versions, in a sense he’s doing what Blake did on Idol. But Ronson also did a great job producing Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen.
Ha, okay - this is so funny because I never heard of Mark Ronson until this morning, but as I was listening to that song it reminded me of “Rehab” for some reason…so now I know why. ;)
Is Mark related to Samantha Ronson?
Rooney’s “When Did Your Heart Go Missing” has kind of that reworked 80s-ish sound too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qoL-9jGaZc
Parental advisory on B’s album? Fuck yeah! (though he did perform SLTW to the kiddie-heavy crowd at his homecoming, lol)
I had to listen to SLTW a few times before I got hooked, but it is raw and way way too long for radio or for a single. I had to fast forward in some places. I love the Falsetto portions the most and wanted to hear those parts. Everyone is right, Blake’s fans have listened to that song (and his others) over and over again but the general public probably won’t like it if they hear that on the radio for the first time. If you like Blake, you have blinders on, and he could sing the alphabet and it would be good but for general consumption, stuff needs to have a real hook and he could still add that special Blake touch. His first album should cater to radio and be more refined and not raw. Blake likes to change things up every time he sings a song. If he sings these in concert later on, fans want to hear the song as it was recorded (but see him move, etc.). I don’t think Blake should include any of his pre-Idol songs because we’ve heard it over and over again (true B fans). The first wave of people buying his 1st CD will be us die-hard fans, but he needs new converts to soar in the business. I know Wiki doesn’t always have the correct information; however under 19E it lists Blake & Jordin as current clients and under BT’s it lists upcoming collaborations ane one is Blake. The 19E site makes no mention of Blake (which I wouldn’t expect them to at this point. It’s driving me nuts. I want news now!!!!
Too true. I watched 7 minutes of him doing soundcheck for the Today show on YouTube and ate it all up :) That’s why I think the producers for the CD are crucial. Though judging from the free rein he’s getting from 19M on this project, maybe it’s just too hard to say no to B, no matter who you are!
[quote]I had to listen to SLTW a few times before I got hooked, but it is raw and way way too long for radio or for a single. I had to fast forward in some places. I love the Falsetto portions the most and wanted to hear those parts. Everyone is right, Blake’s fans have listened to that song (and his others) over and over again but the general public probably won’t like it if they hear that on the radio for the first time. If you like Blake, you have blinders on, and he could sing the alphabet and it would be good but for general consumption, stuff needs to have a real hook and he could still add that special Blake touch. His first album should cater to radio and be more refined and not raw. Blake likes to change things up every time he sings a song. If he sings these in concert later on, fans want to hear the song as it was recorded (but see him move, etc.). I don’t think Blake should include any of his pre-Idol songs because we’ve heard it over and over again (true B fans). The first wave of people buying his 1st CD will be us die-hard fans, but he needs new converts to soar in the business.[/quote]
I agree.
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title veled Feat Blake at Team Plaid. Thanks for informative article