Eric Roberson

There is a quiet, and strong emerging force in music that is making its way back to the forefront. Soul music is trying to continue it re-emergence from the early millennium, when artists like Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, India Arie, D’Angelo, and Maxwell were common household names in the music scene. Though it seems that Hip Hop/R&B and commercial R&B has retaken the reigns away from soul music, it is heavily rising underneath the repetitive rhetoric heard on the radio waves. A language that once stood strong as the voice of love, unity, happiness, togetherness, and upliftment; looks to have lost its firm hold over the world of music as the soul's voice to the ears of the world. Yet, if you look a little deeper, there is a new backbone of soul music... Though it may be silent and un-noticeable, it is daily reaffirming its place as the language of the soul. His body of work, the songs written and created, soul music has come back to the frontline of sound; and this brother is carrying the load. Eric Roberson is a Grammy Award nominated songwriter and the undisputed Prime Minister of Independent Soul that has been more than just a King of Independent Soul. He has been an Ambassador, Leader, Mentor, and has continually pave the road on how to be successful in the Independent Soul Music industry. For fifteen years, he has consistently produced eminent soul music, as well as been at the forefront of the Honest Music Movement. Eric Roberson the life of soul singing in Rahway, New Jersey; where Erro got his start, his hometown. Coming from a musically inclined family, Eric has been blessing the world vocally since the age of 5. With his father being a musician himself, it is the beginning of Eric Roberson musical exposure. After completion his matriculation through the New Jersey grammar school system, Eric Roberson received a full scholarship to Howard University. It is here, that Eric received his first recording deal from Warner Bros. in 1994, releasing the song "The Moon", which broke the top 40 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. Yet, Erro's relationship with Warner Bros. ended soon after; so Eric Roberson went back to Howard University and finished his degree in 1997. From this point, determined to enter the music industry, Eric becomes the backbone of soul by writing his way back into music. The song written work for another artist was "So Long" for the group Phajja. Then, he began to bust through the music with writing/co-writing a conglomerate of work for well-known R&B and Neo Soul artists, some which you know very well, but were unaware of the pen behind the passion. Songwriting list includes: 112 - "Funny Feelings" Room 112 (1998) Will Downing - All the Man You Need (2000) Case - Open Letter (2001) Musiq Soulchild - "Merry Go Round"(2000), "Previous Cats"(2002) Vivian Green - "What Is Love", "Emotional Rollercoaster", "Complete" (2002) Wild Wild West Soundtrack - (1999) Carl Thomas - "Rebound" Eric Roberson also performed and co-wrote a duet with Jill Scott called "One Time" from the Down To Earth soundtrack. You can also find Eric Roberson working with DJ Jazzy Jeff with the song "Rock with You" and "For the Love of Da Game", and vocal collaboration with Raheem DeVaughn and V. Other notable work to be considered is "I Have A Song" for the Prison Song soundtrack, and "Hold On", written for Dwele on his Subject album. Eric Roberson has created six albums of his own: The Esoteric Movement, The Vault Vol. 1, The Vault Vol. 1.5, and The Appetizer,Left, and Music Fan First . He touches every aspect and facet of soul music, from the love-filled melodic ballets, to the soulful upbeat songs that make you move. Outstanding ballets such as "Just A Dream", "Def Ears", and "Should We Try" show the songwriting ability of the artist, as well as the rhythmic creativity in the way the lyrics are arranged in the music. You can tell that lyrical content is something completely thought out, not just simple works with catchy hooks placed together. He is a storyteller, and this very evident in his work. Smooth, sultry songs like She Couldn’t Hear Me, Rebound, and When Love Calls show you the importance of the subject matter in his music. Precisely teaching you a life lesson musically; this is an exclusive rarity in an artist. Songs such as "Rain on My Parade", and the critically acclaimed "The Moon", shows some of the influence of other artists, and gives you that New Jack City R&B feel of the late 80's and early 90's. He can also make you move with up-tempo songs such as "What I Gotta Do", "Change For Me", "Painkiller", and "Right Back To You". A highly bestowed honor to Eric Roberson was his opportunity to work with Lenny Kravitz. Eric Roberson was 1 of 10 producers in the world, 1 of 2 producers chosen in the US, and the only soul music producer chosen to remix Lenny Kravitz single "Breathe", done for Absolute Vodka promotion. Other collaborations of Eric Roberson include working with Marsha Ambrosius from Floetry on "N2U" on his The Appetizer LP, and "She Ought to Know" from the The Vault Vol. 1.5, and J. Rawls on the song "Pleasure Before Pain". Soul music has lost some of its greatest pillars and strongholds of its time. From wonders like Barry White, Luther Vandross, and Marvin Gaye; soul may have seemed to be on the road of extinction. Yet, there is a new pillar rising above and beyond to strengthen soul music. I will go on record to say that Eric Roberson may be the Smokey Robinson of New Age Soul Music. His continuing to write, produce, sing, and create new soulful sounds will undoubtedly solidify him as soul music's voice. Eric is giving you his 7th release called Music Fan First, a divinely complete album with 17 records which exquisitely displays his love and appreciation for the process of creating music. With features from amazing artist such as Grammy Award nominated Wayna, Lalah Hathaway, and Slum Village, this album is a certified classic soul album that will be played and remembered for an eternal lifetime. This album spans across many musical genres, but the foundation of soul can be heard throughout each song, and his classic style is elevated with amazing production by such producers as Brett "Bdubb" Baker, Dana Sorey, and UK producer Colin Emmanuel just to name a few. This is by far Eric Roberson's most aggressive album, and truly can be considered one of the best soul albums of this decade. The voice of honest music has been quieted, but Eric Roberson magnifies that voice with Music Fan First. In his attempt create a masterpiece with a focus on the being a fan of the process of creating music, he has masterfully conceived an album that all Music Fans can embrace and enjoy eternally. You will be unable to find one record on this album that is not noteworthy; this is most complete soul album released this decade. For an artist who is so incredibly talented, he is extremely humble. Never taking anything for granted, he appreciated his fans by including all of their pictures in the 28 pages of his album cover. It is because of his great talent that Eric Roberson received his first Grammy nomination this year, as a 2010 Grammy nominee for his single “A Tale of Two” of off Music Fan First album. For more information about Eric Roberson, please check out his MySpace @www.myspace.com/ericroberson, or his website: www.ericrobersonsmusic.com