raphael saadiq ask of you higher learning

In addition to the lead single (currently No. “It was a total hang,” recalls Saadiq, who while recording also produced tracks for Macy Gray, TLC, the Isley Brothers, Joi, Kelly Price, and others.

The end result is a retro-laced contemporary concoction of R&B, soul, hip-hop, funk, rock, jazz, and doo-wop that he’s christened “gospeldelic.”Īdding to the album’s easygoing, jam-session vibe were largely unscripted guest appearances by such artists as Angie Stone, TLC’s T-Boz, Calvin Richardson, Hi-Tek, and Saadiq’s older brother, Randy Wiggins. Once he entered the right “zone,” it only took Saadiq about seven months to complete the record with assistance from Jake & the Phatman, Raymond Murray, and others. When I sing, that’s when everything feels right.”

The easiest thing about this project was the singing. I never liked the fact that people thought I always wanted to be a solo singer. “Because of that, this was the hardest thing to do. “I’m a team player,” says Saadiq, whose earlier solo forays include “Ask of You,” from 1995’s “Higher Learning” soundtrack, as well as an additional two R&B-charting singles.

However, this time around the singer/tunesmith/musician exposes his creative muse for the first time on a full-length album. Granted, Saadiq is quite familiar with the music industry’s exclusive million-selling neighborhood, thanks to card-carrying membership in the groups Tony! Toni! Tone! and Lucy Pearl, plus production stints with, among others, D’Angelo (2000 Grammy Award winner for the single “Untitled”). “It was like ‘Wow, the record’s complete and I’m on the radio.

“Between the day I heard my album after it was done and the first time I heard the single on-air, I felt like I’d already sold 2 million copies,” says a smiling Saadiq during a timeout at his Los Angeles-area recording studio. Raphael Saadiq isn’t stressing over how many units his Universal solo debut, “Instant Vintage,” will sell following its June 11 release.

Raphael saadiq ask of you higher learning