[back] |
| 4/6/04 |
Gallery of Sound Schizo review Justin Timberlake stepped out of *NSYNC last year to justify himself as a solo artist with a multi-platinum album and a Grammy. Now JC Chasez, Timberlake’s bandmate and pal since their days together on the Disney Channel’s The New Mickey Mouse Club, hopes to do the same. But, Chasez claims, he doesn’t necessarily need to equal Timberlake’s success to feel that his decision to pursue a solo career is, well, justified. "Justin’s Grammy Award-winning. He’s a superstar now; there’s no question about it," says Chasez, 28, who released his album, Schizophrenic, in late February. "My goal is just to have a successful record. At the end of the day, I can only do what I do, and I feel like I made a really good record and I’m proud of what I’ve done. And with Justin, well... He just put the time in. He had a goal and he went out and went after it and didn’t hold back. We come out of the same group and we all understand the work ethic. In my mind [Timberlake’s success] told me, ‘You know what? You’re just as capable of working that hard.’ So there you go." Chasez says he had no real desire to make a solo album when *NSYNC decided to take a hiatus in 2002. Rather, the Washington, D.C. native (born Joshua Scott Chasez) thought he’d spend time with friends and family and "hit the reset button for a little while." But when producer Dallas Austin invited Chasez to hang around the studio when he was working on the soundtrack to the film Drumline, Chasez found himself sucked into the process, co-writing and recording the hit single "Blowin’ Me Up (With Her Love)." "It was just something I did for fun, ‘cause I was hanging around the studio with [Austin]," Chasez says. "I didn’t think it was going to be a single or anything like that. The next thing you know, we got a call back from Fox, the movie company, saying ‘We think this should be the song for the movie’ and they wanted to shoot a video and everything. At that point I’d been off for almost a year so I figured there’s no harm in it. I can’t sit around and do nothing forever." Chasez didn’t know how busy it would keep him, however. The song’s success led to a commitment for a full-fledged solo album—under the condition that "I just do it the way I want to do it. I told [the label] that if I’m going to do a record, I basically want to go ahead and do it on my own, and I want everybody to kind of leave me alone.’ And that’s what they did." Chasez then "locked myself in the studio for three months," coming out only to make some cred-building guest performances on BT’s Emotional Technology album and Kish Kash for Basement Jaxx. Simon Ratcliffe of the Jaxx notes that Chasez "can sing like a dream. You find out pretty quickly that he’s not just a member of *NSYNC." Chasez set out to prove that by co-writing all 15 songs on Schizophrenic, collaborating with producers such as Riprock ‘N’ Alex G, Robb Boldt and Rockwilder, while Basement Jaxx helped out on the track "Shake It." Stylistically, Chasez says, he wanted to make Schizophrenic exactly the kind of eclectic work its title implies. So the album veers from cheerfully horny dance club tracks—including the first single, "Some Girls (Dance With Women)" —to romantic ballads and pieces of lush psychedelia. Chasez channels a variety of obvious influences, including Prince, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, while "Everything You Want" flaunts a Latin flavor. "I just didn’t go with a formatted approach," explains Chasez, who plans to do some touring to promote Schizophrenic before going back into the studio with *NSYNC later this year. "Each song has its own life and its own personality, and they’re really different from each other. It wasn’t like I was going after one sound because I thought that was going to turn it into a hit record or it’s what everyone is banging in the clubs or what everybody’s listening to on the radio. "I do feel like it’s an advance, musically, for me. I just did music and I pushed myself in whatever direction I felt was necessary, and I explored that to the fullest and it opened the floodgates for some really good ideas."
Notable Quotables "I usually ask my mom. She says, `Yeah, yeah, you're going
to wear sneakers again with the suit. That's horrible, son.'"
Duets Highlight 'Motown 45' Celebration Gladys Knight's searing version of "Neither One of Us" and Smokey Robinson and newcomer Joss Stone's cover of the Miracles R&B/pop classic "I Second That Emotion" are among the highlights of the upcoming ABC television special "Motown 45." Taped Sunday night at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, the special celebrates Motown Records' hit-filled legacy, pairing the label's original artists and contemporary singers with timeless Motown songs. Co-hosted by Lionel Richie and Cedric the Entertainer, the event sported such notables as Dick Clark, the Backstreet Boys, comedian George Lopez and 'N Sync's Joey Fatone introducing the various segments.
JC Chasez to play HOB Vegas Price: $20, $30
JC Chasez rose to musical prominence as part of one of the greatest forces in pop music history, *NSYNC. The band's first album alone spawned four number one hits and sold 10 million copies. *NSYNC were men among boy bands, whipping fans across the globe into a frenzy and becoming poster boys for a pop movement that made girls swoon and merchandising explode. Now the five superstars are at work on their own, and Chasez hopes to enjoy the same solo success found by his band mate Justin Timberlake. Chasez couldn't have picked a more appropriate title for his debut, Schizophrenic, a work that represents a new creative direction and makes it seem like he's hatched a whole new personality. Musically, at least, that's what Chasez has tried to do, broadening his horizons and dabbling with elements of techno, new wave, reggae, Latin, and more. However, new personality or not, he's kept his sense of what makes killer pop. Call 702.632.7600 for tickets.
George Michael jokes about kissing Justin George Michael has revealed he wants to have a same-sex kiss onstage, in a similar showstopper to Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears at the MTV Music Awards. The out singer joked with a German interviewer that he is keen to snog Justin Timberlake on stage, and has contacted the pin-up "but, unfortunately, he hasn't called back". However, Michael is keen to rule out any suggestions of a serious collaboration with the N'Sync star and has hit out at older popstars who do so to boost their career. "I couldn't bear people saying there's this old guy clinging on to a young talent," he told Spiegel magazine. "Maybe I'm a little less worried that my star might fade than Madonna." The comments come after Madonna caused an uproar last year by appearing on stage with Spears and Aguilera and kissing them both. While the pictures hit the headlines, many slated the show as a stunt to boost the Material Girl's credibility and, subsequently, her career. She also later sang with Spears in the younger star's Me Against The Music single, as well as appearing in her video. For Michael, who released his Patience album last month and has recently spoken about retiring from the music industry, he is happy with growing older, even if that means falling out of the limelight. "The two things that we make the greatest fuss about - getting fat and getting old - aren't given to most people in the world," he told the magazine.
M-I-C- See ya on stage 'N Sync's JC Chasez, who calls Winter Park home and is testing out a solo career, is slated to join Britney Spears for a week's worth of her Onyx Hotel tour, starting at the end of this month. That means that, after fights with Christina Aguilera and a break-up with Justin Timberlake, Britney has at least one famous friend left from her days in the Mickey Mouse Club.
Chasez in commercial trouble ...A star in far greater commercial trouble is JC Chasez. The 'N Sync cutie was generally seen as the second most scream-worthy member of the boy band, after Justin Timberlake. So, initially, it made good sense for Jive Records to bankroll his solo act. While he got some hot ink for his attempt at a grown-up single, "Some Girls Dance With Women," radio didn't pick up on the tease. The cut never even made Billboard's Hot 100 Song list. A new single, the equally lascivious "All Day Long I Think About Sex," isn't getting radio aroused, either. Small wonder after four weeks, JC's "Schizophrenic" drops down to No. 187, with sales of less than 87,000 copies. Justin's CD, meanwhile, remains on the Top 200 after 73 weeks, with sales of 3.1 million. Given the comparison, I wouldn't look for a solo album from Lance Bass anytime soon... |
[back] |
