7/6/06 4:39pm Aboard a flight back to LA

Once again writing this journal on a plane…however, what makes this entry different than others is that it marks the end of the production my fifth studio album. I’ve spent the past few weeks literally living in the studio working till roughly 4 to 5am everyday. I can only describe my feeling right now as relieved as it is almost over with the mastering of the album remaining to be completed. As you can imagine, I am thoroughly exhausted though for some strange reason I don’t feel it. In fact, I feel a certain energy and anticipation within me probably because I haven’t had the time to cool down or unwind yet. I’m sure my body is low on energy but I feel as if I can still go on a few more days without sleep or rest. For some strange reason I feel as if there is still more work to do on the album though it’s near completion.
Looking back, it’s been a very challenging, often times frustrating though, in the end, rewarding experience making this album. There is so much I want to share with you about this album and its’ making though it’d be better if I didn’t divulge too much just yet. The album, as I mentioned before, is a “softer” album in terms of sound. It isn’t as edgy or controversial as perhaps the past two albums though I feel it is, nonetheless, still an album with a clear concept and reflects what I’ve been feeling during this period. I’ve tried for the past few years to make albums that were cohesive in tone and sound; however, I always felt that I fell short. Regardless of how successful the albums were, I always felt that there wasn’t enough unity in sound as well as in concept with my previous albums. However, I feel with this album I achieved more cohesiveness in what I was trying to say along with how I said it. Musically, for example, you’ll find on this album a large presence of string and horn sections. Part of my intention was to bring in a lot of my musical influences from the 60’s and 70’s Soul and Rock eras in which strings and horns played a large part of the sound and arrangements. Therefore, this album has a certain musical nostalgia from those periods though not necessarily going for a vintage sound. I feel the sound and feel of this album is much more grand, dramatic and larger than my previous albums. Lyrically and thematically, there is also more of a sense of romanticism and sentimentality than previous albums, which were more realistic without taking as much creative liberty.
One thing that I discovered as I was making this album was that hidden behind all this sentimentality and romanticism was a hidden sense of fear within me. This fear, specifically, was of the loss of time, memories and feelings I held dear in my heart. Looking at it from another perspective, there is this fear of losing these things while at the same time appreciating and cherishing them. Perhaps as we get older we tend to be more preoccupied by things in the past while when you’re young you feel as if there’s nothing to lose and life is all about forward momentum. There was quite a bit of irony as I was writing the lyrics for many of the songs because there always seemed to be a dual meaning and purpose for everything. This was revealed to me gradually as I was making the album, as it was something that crept out from my subconscious mind.
Like I said before, making an album often times takes you to uncharted territories musically but also within your own heart and mind. And that is what makes this entire experience so rewarding. A famous musician once said that if you find a formula for making successful music then you should quit making music. That couldn’t be truer as life and the creative process should always be about surprises, spontaneity and real emotions.
As these following months ensue, I’ll be touring and promoting this new album. Though the album may be completed the journey has just begun. I’ll be looking forward to seeing and hearing many of you again as well as also sharing with you new music, stories and emotions from this album. Please stay tuned…
DT