It took a while for Jonathan Butler to feel
comfortable saying it, but the South African singer-songwriter-guitarist’s
confidence has grown as he celebrates what he calls “the season of me” and
finally admitting that he is living his dream. He tells the story of his life and
loves in the eleven original songs that “came from the heart” on his
forthcoming Artistry Music album, “Living My Dream,” which will be released
June 24.
Like
Butler’s best material from a diverse, award-winning and chart-topping career
that’s spanned R&B, jazz, pop and gospel, “Living My Dream” provides an
honest and revealing soulful songbook probing the artist’s passions: God,
family and his homeland. He has been taking care of others ever since he was
seven years-old when he became a child star and was the first black artist
played on white radio stations while growing up under Apartheid. Writing and
producing gold-selling albums and international hit singles, the two-time
Grammy-nominee’s entire life has unfolded in the public eye. Enduring recent
struggles forced him to do a lot of reflection and ponder the type of man he
wanted to be. He decided that he was finally in a place where it was time to
celebrate his own extraordinary life and accomplishments.
With a
much needed push from his daughter, singer-songwriter Jodie Butler, and
guitarist-songwriter Dennis Dodd Jr., he wrote music every day before heading
into the House of Blues recording studio in Los Angeles to record the material
in a live setting “like records used to be made.” Bassist-songwriter-producer
Marcus Miller co-wrote “Let There Be Light” with Butler and played on that
track as well as on “Be Still,” which Butler wrote with George Duke during a
5-hour visit to the late legend’s wine cellar. Saxophonist Elan Trotman also
appears on “Let There Be Light.”
“It’s
one of those albums that I really didn’t think I had in me. I had been
struggling, going through this emotional period. Last year was a transitional
period. Once I got my wind and got back to a place of focus, it turned out to
be the best experience for me. I had to be vulnerable to the songs,” said
Butler about the essence of “Living My Dream.” “It’s the story of my life and
the newness of discovery. These really are the best years of my life.”
Butler
wrote or co-wrote ten songs for “Living My Dream,” which is a balanced blend of
contemporary jazz instrumentals and R&B vocal tunes. The first radio
single, “African Breeze,” is a reboot of an instrumental that he wrote 30 years
ago for “The Jewel of the Nile” motion picture soundtrack. It is a brisk,
energetic African-hued dancer on which Butler plucks the festive melody on
nylon string guitar.
A
captivating and impassioned performer, Butler will help launch “Living My
Dream” during a summer concert tour at which he will share the spotlight with
Grammy-winning guitarist Norman Brown.
Butler
takes you into the recording studio and talks about recording “Living My Dream”
in his EPK, which can be viewed at http://youtu.be/UFFmGWfsKkk. For more
information, please visit www.JonathanButler.com.
“Living
My Dream” contains the following songs:
“African
Breeze”
“Living
My Dream”
“Be
Still”
“Let
There Be Light”
“Heart
and Soul”
“Song
For You”
“Catembe”
“Night
To Remember”
“All
About Love”
“Sweet
Serenade”
“A
Prayer”
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