Arrested Development |
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Fri. April 16.1999 10:21 AM EDT |
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Arrested Development Back Together After Long BreakFrontman Speech to release solo album, Hoopla, in July; full band album to follow later in year. by Contributing Editor Christopher O'Connor |
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Arrested Development's most recent album, Zingalamaduni, is out of print. ( ) |
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Arrested Development are planning to reintroduce their Southern blend of
hip-hop, rhythm and philosophy to the world. They're set to begin recording a new album in May, their first since 1994's Zingalamaduni. They plan to release
In the meantime, Speech is getting ready to release his second solo album, Hoopla, which hits stores in July. Arrested Development received almost immediate acclaim for their 1992 debut, 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of... , which included such catchy spiritual and political tunes as "Tennessee" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Mr. Wendal" (RealAudio excerpt). They landed a headlining spot along with rockers Alice in Chains on the following year's Lollapalooza tour. Speech (born Todd Thomas) said he and the other five members of the group -- DJ Headliner (born Timothy Barnwell), percussionist Rasa Don, dancers Montsho Eshe and Aerle Taree, and spiritual advisor Baba Oje -- have worked out the personal differences that caused them to go their separate ways after Zingalamaduni, which is now out of print. "Our attitudes weren't really right at the time," Speech said. "God made it work out for us." Speech said he has written eight songs for the upcoming sessions, though he doesn't know if those songs will make the record or not. The group will record at Speech's home studio in Fayetteville, Ga., 25 miles south of Atlanta. First, though, the 30-year-old Speech will be working to support Hoopla, a more R&B- and vocal-oriented album than the two Arrested Development records. The cheery, bouncy album features the combined results of recordings Speech made over the past three years. He said he was legally prohibited from releasing an album in the United States for two years after his label, EMI Records, folded in 1997. He did not sit idle, though, spending considerable time in Asia -- especially Japan -- where he released a shorter version of Hoopla in 1998. He said he received positive feedback. "It came at just the right time," Speech said of his overseas sojourn. "I wasn't on hold. I was able to keep an outlet for performing." He signed with TVT Records, an independent label, last month. Lisbeth Cassady, a TVT publicist, said it was unclear whether the Arrested Development album would be released on the label as well. The first single from Hoopla will be "Clocks in Sync With Mine," a laid-back piece of Otis Redding-style soul with a chiming guitar riff and layered vocal harmonies. Speech said the song is dedicated to his wife, Yolanda. "She understands me, and I appreciate it," he said. The album also includes a cover of reggae icon Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," which Arrested Development has performed live. "As an artist, I'm driven by this concept of freedom," Speech said. "The song's been like an anthem for me. I still break out in tears during performances of it." Jonathan Daniel, Speech's manager, said Hoopla demonstrates his client's maturity as an artist and his satisfaction with life. "He's very comfortable with his world," Daniel said. "He's grown up a lot." Speech, a Milwaukee native who began his musical career with the gangsta-rap group Disciples of Lyrical Rebellion, said he looks back on Arrested Development's accomplishments with fondness. But he said he doesn't consider the group a forebear to bands such as the Fugees, which incorporate soul, acoustic folk and hip-hop. "It's all building blocks," he said. "We couldn't have done it without Public Enemy, the Jungle Brothers or A Tribe Called Quest. At the same time, artists like the Fugees or Erykah Badu couldn't have done it without us. But now we're using the success of Lauryn Hill to re-enter the mix. So it's all building blocks." |
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