song of the week #2

I generally don't listen to rhythm & blues music. In fact, I could count on one hand of the number of R&B songs that I even like. And Mister Brian McKnight takes four of the five (you can guess the last one). From his latest album that never really took off, "Everytime You Go Away" is this week's song of the week. While it has the typical R&B elements like the syncopated bass line and synthesizer, the foundation of this song is built on a simple piano riff. Strings add a nice touch, but surprise.. electric guitar interlude in an R&B song? Very impressive Brian, especially since he produced this song by himself.

What really amazes me about him is his ability to sing the way he does while playing the piano or guitar. I've come to the conclusion that he has two biological metronomes ticking in his head. We know him by his amazing vocal skills, but geez, he plays a mean piano. You can see him on the keys here. His guitar-playing is very polished. He apparently plays trumpet too.

I did a random YouTube search and found a "One Last Cry" duet performance with Brian McKnight and Kim Jo Han. Kim Jo Han did a pretty good job hiding his accent as he sang, but he should have left the stage once Brian started singing. He showed Korean Boy how it was done. Near the end of the song, the Korean guy was so blown away by Brian that he laughs in disbelief.

"Everytime" is about missing someone so much that even the promise of returning home isn't enough.