Available The Week Of October 23
HARRY CONNICK JR. That Would Be Me (produced by Butch Walker & Eg White) (Columbia) Multiple Grammy and Emmy-award winning musician Harry Connick, Jr. presents his new album That Would Be Me. For the first time in his career, Connick took a step outside his musical comfort zone to work in the studio with two “external” producers on this album the acclaimed Eg White (Sam Smith, Adele, Florence And The Machine) and Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Pink). That Would Be Me was recorded in London with White and Nashville with Walker. The result is a carefully crafted record full of surprises and stirring musical conjurations, delivering 11 new songs and new insights into his artistry. Additionally, the album art also represents a departure from his other covers, showcasing a portrait of his face created entirely from musical objects.
Regarding his chosen producing partner, Harry commented, “For the most part, nobody’s ever made musical decisions for me before… This is brand new territory. I’m used to jumping in head-first, but all of a sudden I found myself not in full control of the wheel anymore.” Connick notes that he picked up on both producers styles as they began working together. “Butch is more of a ‘let s play the song in the room’ kind of guy, so we invited a couple more musicians in; with Eg, it was a completely different experience it was just the two of us in a room writing, starting with an idea, a groove or a chord or melody line.” While Connick reserved the right to have final say on the end result, he found his voice coming through the record and enjoyed the collaborative nature of the process.
That Would Be Me includes infectious gems like the White-produced “(I Like It When You) Smile,” which includes an impromptu-hand clap and Connick serving up a one-of-a-kind-scat-rap-of-a-vocal that heats up mid-song and never lets down. Walker-helmed songs include the percolating “(I Think I) Love You A Little Bit,” the sultry/funky “Songwriter” and the catchy first single, “(I Do) Like We Do.”
SEINABO SEY Pretend (Virgin) This is a pop album saturated in soul and full of big melodic songs and forward thinking production (courtesy of Madonna collaborator Magnus Lidehäll) that draws on real, sometimes painfully relatable moments. Seinabo Sey explains ”This album is really all about my life. It’s about everything that’s happened to me”.
Features 16 tracks including ”Younger (Kygo Remix)” & ”Hard Time”