LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Singer Charlie Wilson remembers soulstress Chaka Khan once telling him, "You work way too hard.""My friends still tell me that," Wilson says with his signature hee-hee laugh. "But I'm still having a good time performing. I'm always going to give music all the energy I've got."
That old-school energy, enthusiasm and work ethic have served him well during a career that has included a hits-laden, '80s-era run as frontman for funk trio the Gap Band ("Burn Rubber," "Outstanding") -- as well as a drug problem that temporarily sidelined him 14 years ago.
But Wilson is back on the upswing again thanks to the top 10 R&B hit "There Goes My Baby." Written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and singer-songwriter Calvin Richardson, the track is the lead single from Wilson's second Jive solo album, "Uncle Charlie" (February 17).
This latest chart run picks up on the momentum sparked by Wilson's 2005 Jive debut, "Charlie, Last Name Wilson." Sporting songwriting/production by R. Kelly, T-Pain, the Underdogs and Gregg Pagani, among others, the album debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, while the title track climbed to No. 11 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. To date, the CD has sold 442,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. An earlier solo effort, 2000's "Bridging the Gap," has sold 195,000.
Ask Wilson what the major difference is between his two most recent projects and he quickly boils it down to one word: control.
"I executive-produced my own record this time," he says of "Uncle Charlie," which he worked on in the studio at his ranch outside Los Angeles. "I also wrote a little. When my brothers and I had the Gap Band, we thought we were in control, but we got sideswiped by our label and others. Now I'm in control of my own destiny."
Wilson reunites with such collaborators as Pagani, the Underdogs and T-Pain on "Uncle Charlie," which derives its title from the nickname Snoop Dogg gave him several years ago. The rapper once again plays a supporting role, featured on the dance jam "Let It Out." And actor/singer Jamie Foxx jumps on a slow dance remix of the single "Supa Sexxy."
Beyond the party vibes and the easy, feel-good blend of contemporary and classic R&B that powers "There Goes My Baby," Wilson gets down to emotive basics on the ballad "Homeless." Telling the story of a man who gets kicked out of the house by his woman, the song uses the metaphor of being homeless to further drive home the pain of the severed relationship.
"I've been there," Wilson says. "I know wholeheartedly about being homeless and all the factors about it. How it feels not to eat, sleep and be without a person you love. I definitely took that record and sung the hell out of it."
Reuters/Billboard
