Acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist and The Voice winner
to make April 15, 2016 Concord debut with eagerly-awaited new album.
Blessed with a stunningly soulful voice, an uncanny
songwriting talent, a charismatic personality and a commanding stage presence,
Javier Colon has already won the attention of an international fan base that's
embraced his personally-charged, acoustic-textured blend of pop, rock and
R&B.
Having been introduced to millions of TV viewers as the
winner on the inaugural season of NBC's The Voice, the
singer-songwriter-guitarist is set to take his recording career to the next
level with the April 15, 2016 release of Gravity, his fourth album and his
first for Concord Records.
"I got together with some good songwriters and
musicians, and we just let it flow," states Colon. "I wanted to make an album where I could
be free to be myself, with no walls or boundaries. I wanted the freedom to be myself musically,
which is really all I've ever wanted, and I was surrounded by people who encouraged
me to do that."
Indeed, the 15-song album, on which Colon wrote or co-wrote
all but three songs, marks a creative milestone for the artist. Such musically compelling, emotionally
resonant tunes as "For A Reason," "Clear the Air,"
"Walking Blind" and the memorable title track demonstrate the breadth
of his talents, matching his distinctly expressive voice with irresistible
melodies, insightful lyrics and Colon's own distinctive acoustic guitar work,
which sets the tone for the album's spacious instrumental arrangements.
Recorded in Brooklyn, Nashville, Los Angeles and Utah as
well as the artist's home state of Connecticut, Gravity marks a turning point
in an eventful musical journey that's taken Javier Colon to a lot of
interesting places. Having emerged as a
musical prodigy early in life, his gifts took him to the University of
Hartford's Hartt School of Music, where he founded an a cappella R&B
quintet that performed at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater. Soon after graduating from Hartt with a degree
in Music Education, he became lead singer of the neo-funk group EmCQ.
When EmCQ opened for funk-jazz luminaries Soulive, Javier's
talents drew the attention of Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno, whose
recommendation led to Javier becoming lead singer of the Derek Trucks
Band. Colon spent two years touring with
Trucks' group, winning acclaim for his fluency with the band's eclectic
rock/soul/blues/jazz brew. Striking out
on his own and signing a solo deal with Capitol Records, Javier released two
well-regarded albums in a mainstream urban-R&B mode, before making the
audacious move of casting off that commercial direction in favor of making more
personal music on his own terms.
After releasing the acoustic EP The Truth on his own label
Javier's career took an unexpected but propitious turn in 2011, when he became
the winner on The Voice's first season, receiving a recording contract with
Universal Republic Records. The new deal
yielded the well-received album Come Through for You as well as the holiday-themed
EP A Very Acoustic Christmas. But
disagreements with his new label about creative direction caused the artist to
once again make the decision to seek out a label situation better suited to his
musical goals.
"I'm grateful to The Voice for allowing me to be myself
in front of tens of millions of people," Javier notes. "It was the greatest thing that could
have happened to me, and the experience gave me the confidence to fight to be
my real self musically. I was happy with
the album that I made for Universal, for the most part, but it was kind of an
arranged marriage and it didn't work out.
But that's OK, I'm a firm believer in everything happening for a
reason. Now I'm in situation with
Concord where I can make the music that I've always wanted to make."
In recent months, Javier Colon has achieved some significant
international successes, including a run of shows in Japan with renowned jazz
saxophonist Dave Koz, and a series of concerts in Mexico and South America with
Maroon 5 (whose frontman Adam Levine was Javier's coach on The Voice).
"Those were two of the most amazing experiences of my
life," says Colon. "On the
Maroon 5 shows, I was just the opener, but the audiences were so affectionate
and appreciative that there were times on stage that I was moved to tears. I sang a song or two in Spanish and the
reaction was so incredible that I'm planning on recording some songs in Spanish
for my fan base in Latin America."
With Gravity set to for release, Javier Colon is looking
forward to getting back on the road and reacquainting himself with his loyal
and growing fan base.
"I get emails and messages from fans, saying that my
music has moved them or touched them, or helped them when they were in a dark
place," he says. "That's
something that I take very seriously.
Knowing that other people are listening on that level makes me feel like
I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
"Music is powerful," Colon continues. "It can make you cry, it can make you
laugh, it can make you dance, and it can make you feel like you're not
alone. It can allow you to confront your
life, or it can make you forget about life for awhile. It's important to me as an artist to try and
move people emotionally. My songs have
always come from the heart, and from a place of wanting to move people or make
people feel something inside.
"I'm glad to be in a position now where I can put music
out there that reflects who I am as an artist and a person," he
concludes. "As an artist, you live
and die by the songs that you sing, and if you sing a song that you're not
fully invested in, or a song that you don't really feel, then you're not doing
your job as an artist. With Gravity, I
got to make an album that I really love from start to finish, and I'm willing
to fight for that and live with the consequences."
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