|
kiangam2@yahoo.com
THE
REVAMPING OF 'THICKE'
Who is Robin Thicke? Your initial reaction when hearing the seemingly
unfamiliar name could cause you to stare blankly into the distance,
while attempting to place a face and video with the name. A little light
bulb might pop up in your head while you repeat the name “ Thicke” and
say to yourself- “wasn’t that the actor who played the T.V. dad on
‘Growing Pains’. The light bulb quickly goes out when you realize the
actors name was Alan Thicke not Robin (actually Alan Thicke is the
father of R&B lyricist Robin). So, if you’re not a video expert like me
you still may have no idea what this artist looks like, and you give up
playing name that dude.
For those of you who didn’t know, Robin presented his talents early on,
lending his writing skills to artist such as; Usher, Michael Jackson,
and Mary J. Blige. Robin decided to take a leap of faith, and placed
himself in the spotlight. Originally he was promoted as the artist ‘Thicke’,
but it was hard for a good looking white guy with medium brown hair and
sparkling blue eyes, to step into the forefront of the world of rhythm
and soul. So Robin did some living in between the silence of his first
release, and has recently made a come back. He cut his brown hair short,
and is gaining attention with a relaxed style that simply says, “Hey
it’s just me”.
There’s no escaping “I Wanna Love You Girl” when you hear it on the
radio, at the club or wherever popular music is played. Robin Thicke’s
song makes you think of sunshine and first loves, and it doesn’t hurt
having the skater boy of hip-hop Ferrell lend his special brand of
production, making this song an instant hit. ‘Wanna love you” is drama
free and super sexy, but if you focus on the fluff you might miss this
man’s personal journey. After seeing his performance at the House of
Blues, and conducting a one on one interview, I can tell you that his
story is deeper than poppy tracks and a laid back video on an exotic
island. His recent album reveals pieces of his past and a glimpse of his
future, listening closely to the lyrics you’ll discover that there is a
reason why his recent compellation is cleverly named –“The Evolution of
Robin Thicke”.
Luckily, I was able to catch up with Robin who was performing at the
House of Blues in Vegas on Tuesday, April 18th (he's currently on tour
with the gifted R&B phenomenon Keshia Cole). Robin likes limiting his
visits too Las Vegas to only four or five times a year, because vacating
in this city, with his group of friends drains the life out of him.
During my conversation with Robin I was able to understand his
transformation. He began his career quietly creating hits for other
singers, but decided to offer himself in a selfless way to the public in
a take it or leave it manner. I asked him if exposing his feelings about
life and relationships helps him connect with his audience, but Robin
sees his writing style as a way to heal himself, and through this
process he’s able to give a gift to those that understand where he’s
coming from. Robin’s performance started off with the song “Shooter”,
which was released two years prior on “Beautiful World”. He had so much
passion in his performance, banging on the piano squeezing every once of
_expression from its ivory keys. He only performed a few songs from his
recent album though, but the ones that he decided to share were indeed
soulful. Robin didn’t just sit at the piano he moved around the stage in
his own way, while his movements changed to the mood of the music.
Although music listner’s slept on the prior release of shooter, it
actually showed up on an unlikely collaboration with Lil Wayne.
According to Robin this was one of his favorite hooks ups in his career,
and he looks forward too possibly doing a musical video just so people
can get familiar with him as an artist, and prove to the masses that his
versatile style shows that he’s not a one hit wonder.
|
