by A. Scott Galloway

As much soulful music as singer/songwriter Carl Thomas has been a part of - from duets with Faith Evans, Kelly Price and Michelle Williams to rap collabos with Notorious B.I.G., Lil’ Kim, Ludacris, De La Soul, Puff Daddy, Total, Noreaga, Black Rob, Ghostface Killa and Jadakiss...to name but a few - it is downright shocking that this summer will mark the release of merely his third album as a leader. Titled So Much Better, the album finds him luxuriating in Island-kissed lothario mode. Highlights include a cool mid-tempo joint with Brandy titled “Something About You,” an incredible futuristic dub reggae piece titled “Oh, No” (produced by Pitch Black), a bumpin’ meditation on the good and bad sides of passion titled “If That Ain’t Love,” and a lovely wedding proposal song titled “Say I Do.” The first single, “2 Pieces,” is a classy note of thanks to a fittingly classy lady. Other producers include Bryan Michael Cox and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with “Big Jim” Wright.

The album is a three-way release between record industry veteran Jheryl Busby’s Umbrella Entertainment, producer Mike City’s Unsung Entertainment and Carl Thomas’ Thom Tunes imprint. Busby, who has helmed major record companies such as Motown and MCA, took a keen interest in Carl after Bad Boy/Arista dropped him from its roster. He states, “Carl’s last two albums sold two million combined. He was dropped only because the economic structure of the major labels is that artists have to continue to sell those numbers in order to keep their careers on track. My economic model is entirely different. I changed the risk factor. The artists do not get advances. However, they recoup at gross receipts (about five dollars a record). After that, we split profits 50/50 and I give them their masters. Carl is a steady selling soul singer. He should be able to sell a half a million units if marketing and distribution do their jobs. More importantly, Carl can re-establish himself on the tour circuit of the 700-1,000-seater clubs.”

Mike City agrees. “Carl has staying power. I want to see him do well, tour around the world - Africa, Europe, Australia - build up a fan base.” The two became friends when Mike brought Carl “I Wish” for his Bad Boy Records debut CD, Emotional, that wound up being a sleeper chart-topper in 2000. Mike marvels, “Clive Davis had left Arista, L.A. Reid wasn’t there yet, and Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs at Bad Boy was dealing with legal issues. Somehow, ‘I Wish’ had a life of its own. It was a blessing.” Mike and Carl remained tight and now with So Much Better - bullish on City’s “no duds” policy - they share a vision or returning organic soul to the airwaves. “This project allowed us to get down and do soul music like we grew up on...even though we’re on different coasts. Soul music lasts forever. This record is something we can be proud of - whether it sells 1 copy or 1 million. We can hang our hats with pride at the end of the day.”

In the candid interview that follows, Carl Thomas discusses soul music, soul business and soul searching in the aftermath of the 2004 murder of his older brother.

Q: Let’s start by breaking down your transition from Bad Boy to the new situation at hand.
A: I don’t see myself as out of the “major” arena, but I am between labels. I wanted to get something out there quickly for all the people who love me. In this situation with my friend Mike City starting his own company, I could make a record without someone looking over my shoulder. The way I see it, Mike and I were collectively responsible for each others success. “I Wish” was his record as much as mine, as was “Make it Alright.” Not only do I feel like I owe him the honor to help him start his own imprint, we owe each other. Our work sounds so good because that’s the attitude we approached it with. We want to see what kind of impact we can have with the people on our own.

Whether or not these are songs that could have come out on Bad Boy remains to be seen. But that’s not an issue for me. My move from Bad Boy was just a point of growth. I really love Puff (Sean “Diddy” Combs) and everybody over there for what they’ve done to help me mature as an artist. I watched them very closely and I learned a lot. One thing I learned at Bad Boy is you get what you put into it. That’s a hard line lesson that Puff pushed. He taught that by example. Puff didn’t sleep. When a job needed to be done, the bottom line was that deadline...no matter what.

I brought that level of mentality to what Mike and I are doing on this CD. We put his Unsung imprint together with my Thom Tunes imprint. The point of this project was for me to be hands-on with all of the decision-making. It’s nice to be an artist. It’s better to be a businessman.

I want to lay a path for all of Mike’s future artists by bringing some prestige to his situation from the gate. Now I have an immense curious excitement about how this project will be accepted.

Q: You and Mike have come up with a seriously soulful and consistent CD here.
A: We kept it all water - a saying amongst musicians. I wanted to make sure that this album was very even. I didn’t want to spend too much time relying on a sequence. We purposely just let it flow naturally. And because I’m a performing artist, I make sure to record songs that will translate great on stage. If you don’t have a great show, there is no longevity in this business. Of all the new artists, I think Ne-Yo writes great records that translate well on stage. And, of course, Luther (Vandross) was the king of that.

Q: How do you think the industry got to this fluffy and tenuous space?
A: Being a tech head, I saw this digital era coming like a tidal wave 12 years ago. It’s about every man, woman and child becoming their own island of industry. Not only that. You can blame record companies for this and that, but record companies only sell what you give them. The era of trash began in somebody’s studio because the producers set the tone. Record companies are not in the studio making beats or writing songs. They’re not on the road. All they are responsible for is selling the product. I guess it’s just like drugs: whether the coke is good or bad, it’s going into the pipeline to be sold. “Maybe it wasn’t so good this month. Next month it will be better.” It’s like fishing for King Crab or something.

A lot of these kids need to stop crying about the money they aren’t getting and stop waiting for the label to give them everything. I’ve never understood the concept of somebody pulling you up by the bootstraps to help yourself. A lot of artists don’t see themselves as a product. They’re too busy being “artistes.” Yes, you have to be you, but you also have a responsibility to give people what they want.
That said, there’s a lot of music now that I love. The music scene is not as bad as its being made out to be. In my opinion, there is more good R&B and rap than bad on the radio right now.

Q: Your reggae joint “Oh, No” could take Black radio to another level!
A: The Caribbean community was very supportive of me by playing “Summer Rain.” I wanted to put a song on this album to give something back to them in their groove.

Q: What is the most personal song on So Much Better?
A: “Say I Do,” The Wedding Song. I had a chance to write with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. That was a great experience. I got a lot of history just sitting down with them. The thing I appreciate most was them allowing me the freedom to ask them questions - about their time at Tabu Records with Alexander O’Neal and Cherrelle, how they came up with certain chords, how they developed a style that you automatically knew was them, and how they remained so consistent. Jam & Lewis were really cool. Their attitude is if you’re willing to listen and learn, then they are willing to open up to you. I hope to ask Babyface the same kinds of questions.

Q: You also have the coup of recording “Can’t Get Over,” allegedly the last secular recording of Dave Hollister, who is now a minister and vowed to only sing gospel music from this point on.
A: Me and Dave grew up together in the church in Chicago. It just makes no sense for us to not do a record together, whether he’s doing gospel music or not.

The only thing I regret is I wasn’t able to get my man Gerald Levert on the album. He was a real encouragement to me in some really rough times. My brother was shot and murdered on Halloween night 2004. Gerald was one of the people who stayed calling me to see if I was alright...long after the event.
It was because of Gerald that I got to participate in a beautiful record with him, Ms. Yolanda Adams and Chaka Khan. It was “Family Reunion” from Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion movie (2006). It was nominated for a Grammy which I wish it would have won because Gerald deserved one. There was another artist who was supposed to sing my part. But Gerald, on his own accord, spoke up on my behalf. Things like that just go to show you the kind of guy he was. He’s not with us anymore, but I would like to continue on with his kind of spirit.

I met Gerald in the lobby of the L’ermitage Hotel. He stopped me to compliment me on “I Wish.” He was warm and approached me like a brother. He shared good, sound music business advice with me given his experience in the game. And he was such a fun dude, man! I can’t speak of too many people in this business as genuine, but he was definitely that. I’m gonna miss him.

Q: It’s amazing that you were able to make such a beautiful and soulful album though it’s been just a few short years since the murder of your brother. How have you been coping with that?
A: It was an extremely sobering experience. My brother was a police officer and a minister. Turns out it was a couple of kids that killed him...and they had no idea who he was. They were just there to take out whoever came walking by at that moment in time. My brother had just got done preaching. Halloween was on a Sunday that day. He was on his way back to our mother’s house - he and my cousin.
That spun me in a different direction. I had to rebuild myself musically. Mike City stuck in there with me like another brother. He and I came to this point at the right time. He helped me get my voice back - and not just my singing voice. I didn’t have anything to say - nothing to tell a woman, a man, nobody.

Q: Most of this album is love songs for women. The “I Miss You” interlude is dedicated to your brother. But you didn’t write a song about what happened to him. For him to die behind such random bullshit...will you ever address that in song?
A: Oh, God, yes. I just think that what I want to say is still being developed inside me. There’s so much to say, man...so much I want to say to him and so much to say about that situation. I want to let it come out as it comes.

When I do albums, it’s not just about me. I didn’t want to spend too much time on this project getting into that for the people. I’m not selling my experience. I’m not selling my brother’s death. This is my life for real. Four years ago had you told me my life would take this turn, I wouldn’t have believed you. But like they say, “it is what it is until it ain’t no more.” I can see things more positively now...I can smell flowers better now...I’m a lot less pessimistic now.

Q: Less? Some people would be the exact opposite.
A: It’s really about honor. My brother was a really good man...a far better man than me where it concerns the decisions he made with his life versus the decisions I made in mine. Now, I can do one of two things. I could very well disrespect who he was by having some rash reaction, or I can honor who he was in my behavior. He was not a cynical or pessimistic man. I’m far more at peace honoring the man that he was.

Q: Tell us about your brother.
A: His name was Randy Evans. He was my bunk bed partner. He and I were the only two boys in the house. The rest were women – my mother and four sisters. He was there for me in several significant life moments…the one who walked me to kindergarten on my first day. He taught me how to ride a bike. He taught me the things I needed to know to get along. I didn’t have a dad around, but I had an older brother.
It’s funny, every time I tie a necktie, I think, “This is not my knot. It’s Randy’s knot. He taught me how to tie this knot.” (laughs) And to this day I’m still tying the same knot.

Whenever I want to see him, I look in the mirror really-really hard and his face will appear. And when I think about him, I think about how he would have wanted things to go. He would have wanted me to go forth in a way that would make my family proud.