Kenny Lattimore has returned to the spotlight with his fifth solo album titled Anatomy of a Love Song via Sincere Soul Records/eOne Music. The new LP is Lattimore’s first album to be released since his 2008 album, Timeless.
In an interview with Rated R&B, Lattimore explains the concept for Anatomy of a Love Song, how his past albums compare to his new album, how he fell back in love with music and more.
“Love Me Back” has been rising on urban AC radio. What inspired that track?
It was some guys out of Houston (The Sauce Boys) and a singer-producer named Dra-kkar Wesley played the idea to me. The space that I was in at the time, I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to do a feel-good. I had been listening to some John Legend — it was around the time when he put out “Tonight” from [“Think Like A Man”]. Maybe a year after that song came out, I met Dra-kkar and I said “Y’all have anything that’s like in that lane and in that tempo?” He played me this song called “Love Me Back” and it was a little rough. So we went in and I changed up a couple things. Dra-kkar went back in and he was inspired to do the interesting drum programming that reminded me of the ’80s. At the same time, we tried to keep things relevant to now and mix it all in. It just had all these elements to it that made me feel good.
Do you believe urban AC radio is keeping R&B music alive while it seems like urban radio has put it aside?
Wow. It’s interesting because it feels like urban R&B’s space is getting smaller. I guess as the longer I live, things that I used to like have become oldies. There’s oldie stations as well as R&B — I don’t know if there’s many stations playing new R&B music unless you’re listening to satellite radio and things like that. The music is definitely there. I believe it is being made. I’m very fortunate to have lived through the golden age of the industry where I remember when we were celebrated for being individuals and being very different. Then all of a sudden, I live through the age of you need to sound like this person; you need to sound like that person. So now that the market has gotten smaller, I think we have to be really careful that whatever we do in R&B truly connects to the people and radio.
Let’s talk about the creative process. How did you get started with Anatomy of a Love Song?
I think I spent some period of my career a little more self-indulgent with music, which a lot of us artists do. The way that Anatomy of a Love Song started out in its creation…I had fallen out of love with music and the industry. I wasn’t really excited about recording much. I did a [covers] album called Timeless back in 2008. That actually got me singing again. But when it came to original music, I was like, “I don’t know. Stuff is changing. The cadence on the music is really different and I don’t know if that’s authentically who I am.”
Carvin Haggins, who produced three songs on[Anatomy of a Love Song], said “We need your voice in the industry.” First, I was like “You need my voice in the industry? That sounds real nice but come on.” He was like, “Seriously, I’ve got some songs for you.” So I went in and the first song we recorded was called “Find A Way.” When we recorded “Find A Way,” it was like things started coming back to me. We recorded a few more songs. I took those songs and I started some focus groups because I wanted to make sure I was connecting to the people and I was giving the fans what they wanted to hear as well. Through the years, I just had to get to a point where I fell in love with the process of jumping out there and taking the risk of making music again. I think there are a lot of people out there doing the same thing but just left places for it to be exposed.
At what moment did you realize that you fell back in love with making music? What really inspired that love for singing to return?
On the recording side, it was once Carvin had me in the studio. He really helped me revive all of that. I don’t know why I wasn’t sure what I would sound like, I just felt like I was going to sound corny. But then he was like, “Kenny, how are you going to judge something you haven’t heard?” [On the performance side,] it might have been at church. I started singing a lot more of the gospel and doing some things behind the scenes. It gave me back the same love and freedom. I didn’t feel free in R&B for a while because I knew that in the business there were times when people wanted me to be somebody else. But when I sang in the church I didn’t have to be anybody else.
How did you come up with the title Anatomy of a Love Song?
I was talking to a really good buddy of mine who has a tremendous vocabulary — so much greater than mine. I said, “I want the title of this album to be something about a love song.” I kept thinking it was “The Making of” it or “The Components of” it. We was just going back and forth and he said, “What about ‘The Anatomy’?” It was perfect because when you think of anatomy, you think of the body and the heart. The heart of a love song is the lyrics. You got veins and all the places the blood is going to flow…and how the muscles work…what allows the song to come to life so people can see it and hear it. The sounds, the production, the background and all these different components…I think it was the perfect title because not only is this album contains the ups and downs of love but I think it has the production of several different types of styles of music that I love [and] grew up on.
What would you say are the key elements of a great love song?
It would definitely have to be the lyrics and then it would be the mood that is set by the music. Those are really the two components that make it great.
How would you say your new album compares to your other works? You previously mentioned when you started to love singing again, you felt more free. Did you feel more free when you worked on this album?
The similarities would be having that love theme — what I’m saying is similar. In terms of the sound of it, it’s different because I’m just in a different place in my life right now. It truly reflects where I am. I remember when I was doing my first album. I was trying to figure it out and discover. I worked with all these different producers, different sounds and… the only that was consistent on that album was my voice. Then you had my album, From the Soul of Man, where I just really wanted to dive into a lyric statement. I want to say the things that men don’t always say but maybe we should say…and express our emotion. That became its own thing.
When I did Weekend at Artista, that was a different process because I didn’t have the reigns of that album fully. I felt like there was lots of changes going on because Clive Davis had signed me to Arista and then he was let go and LA Reid came in. It was a lot of things that were happening. All of a sudden, I just needed to put the album out. It wasn’t exactly the statement I wanted to make but I got the chance to work with some other new producers — well, new for me. Every album literally reflected what I was going through at the time. This one is no exception. I feel that I’m loving life and loving music.This album reflects me being in a free and open space for sure.
Get Kenny Lattimore’s new album “Anatomy of a Love Song” now!