okay, so here i go exposing myself for the rabid omar fan that i am... this
is just a warning for all those folks who'll want to avoid my sermon...
1st, "this is not a love song" grows on you w/listening--i originally was
kinda let down, but now i'm glad i got the album. i'm still wondering if
this
has been released domestically yet--i paid a pretty penny for 1 slab of
import vinyl... oh yeah, it *is* on rca.
anyway, i think it actually *does* have crossover potential. the potential
can only be realized w/promotion, though. i'm not sure what the big "urban"
(i.e. contemporary black music) stations are around the u.s., but i know
that
the 2 big ones in l.a. (kkbt 92.3 & kpwr 105.9) could play a number of tunes
off almost any omar album in their regular rotation if they were hipped to
the music by rca/bmg (which distibutes loud/pmp--a hiphop/r&b label getting
much play already). i don't know who picked up d'angelo after the emi
debacle (they closed up much of their operation earlier this year--if anyone
has more current news on this *please* post or email me), but rca would be
wise to snag him and do omar cross promotion (i.e. if you like d'angelo,
check our other artist omar...). i hate to have to demote omar to 2nd
string,
cuz he's an original, but i want the boy to sell *records*!!
does anyone have the straight dope on why he went from talking loud (who's
blowing up now) to rca? cuz they're doing him like michael sembello (great
songwriter/guitarist/vocalist jacked in a big way by warner bros.--his big
hit was "maniac" from *flashdance*, but he's written better hits for others
and his album *bossa nova hotel* was a totally overlooked gem. he could've
taken the torch from stevie [a former employer--check your copy of "songs
in the key of life"] and run w/it...).
if anyone knows someone in rca's a&r or promotion--please put a bug in their
ear!! omar's just been marketed wrong (there's an article in an old urb
magazine that agrees w/me--sorry don't know the ish or the author...) and
they
could turn that around and be running this nu soul thing!!!
all right pass the contribution plate & let's get outta here
t-bird
... everybody's got a thing, but some don't know how to handle it-s.wonder