Chanté Moore : Love The Woman : 6.17.08

[SHOOTER]

1. Always Gonna Be Something
2. Can't Do It
3. Special
4. Ain't Supposed To Be This Way
5. My Eyes
6. Give Me Time
7. Do For You
8. Love The Woman
9. Love Action
10. First Kiss
11. Guess Who I Saw Today

Chanté's 5th solo album and 1st solo release in 8 years. She's now signed to Peak/Concord Records (distributed through Universal). 1st single is "Ain't Supposed To Be That Way" and album contains production from George Duke, Warryn Campbell, and Raphael Saadiq. Album will be released digitally on May 20th and hit stores physically on June 17th!

www.chantemooreonline.com
www.myspace.com/chantemooreonline

[jamrock16]

oh i thought it was the guy from Y&R...and i thought to myself everyones turning to music these days, guess not lol

[SAY IT RIGHT]

Why a early digital release? Thats so stupid.

[George]

LOVE her.

I'm not sure if I'll purchase it digitally first. I'll probably wait till the physical release so I don't have to double-purchase.

[🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾]

Billboard review:

Love the Woman
CHANTÉ MOORE
Producer(s): various
Genre: R&B
Label: Peak Records

Best-known for several R&B hits in the '90s (including "Chanté's Got a Man"), Chanté Moore returns on new label Peak Records for her first solo album in eight years. Under the guidance of such vocal-minded producers as Warryn Campbell, Raphael Saadiq and longtime mentor George Duke, Moore's soulful and sultry voice still shines. Steering clear of the contemporary guest-star-feature trap, Moore goes it alone to great effect as she switches gears from R&B to jazz and points in between. She's at her most engaging on the heart-rending single "It Ain't Supposed to Be This Way." And while covers can be a dicey proposition, Moore puts her own resonating stamp on Minnie Riperton's "Give Me Time" and Nancy Wilson's signature "Guess Who I Saw Today." —Gail Mitchell

[awwHALEnahh]

LOL...on that cover, she looks like Ashanti from the neck up...Beyonce from her neck to waist...and Solange from the waist down.

[marcjm]

Jun 3, 2008 14:51:20 GMT -5 awwHALEnahh said:

LOL...on that cover, she looks like Ashanti from the neck up...Beyonce from her neck to waist...and Solange from the waist down.

That's interesting!

[SHOOTER]

The album is pretty damn good. My Eyes is my favorite but her cover of Guess Who I Saw Today awesome as well.

[George]

Concord Music Group News
NEWS 24 Apr 2008

Grammy Nominee Chante Moore Returns With Her First New Solo CD In Eight Years: Love The Woman Due In Stores June 17th

Following two highly successful albums with her husband, Kenny Lattimore, Grammy nominee Chante Moore returns with her long awaited first solo CD in nearly a decade, Love The Woman, due June 17th on Peak Records.

Known for numerous hits over the past fifteen years including "Love's Taken Over," "It's Alright," and her top five smash "Chante's Got A Man," Chante Moore is in vintage form on her sultry first single, the passionate ballad "Ain't Supposed To Be. With her angelic vocals, once again she delivers her distinctive soulful style that has made her one of the most admired and respected female artists over the past two decades.

Love The Woman, which she executive produced, reunites Chante Moore with her longtime musical mentor, revered producer George Duke (credits include Anita Baker, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Take 6) who helped launch her career in the early 1990's. This time they collaborated on one of her most personal recordings ever, Minnie Ripperton's "Give Me The Time," the song that was played when she walked down the aisle during her wedding six years ago.
Her highly anticipated new album also includes production by Grammy award winner Raphael Saadiq (Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, The Isley Brothers, and D'Angelo) and Warryn Campbell (Jamie Foxx, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, and Mario).

After earning praise in the gospel world for her 2006 duet CD Covered/Uncovered with her husband, Chante Moore demonstrates her breathtaking skills as a jazz vocalist on two standards on Love The Woman: Nancy Wilson's classic "Guess Who I Saw Today," and one of Aretha Franklin's early recordings, "Start of Something Big."

In addition to her flourishing recording career, Chante Moore has also proven herself as a talented actress on stage in "Things That Lovers Do" co-starring her husband, and last year she toured in "By Any Means Necessary" with Tisha Campbell-Martin and Dave Hollister. She also enjoys serving as a role model, mentoring young girls at her church, and is currently writing a self-help book for women.

Chante Moore is especially gratified to resume her solo career and satisfy her fan's desire for the classy R&B stylings which propelled her to gold status on her three consecutive CDS. As one of today's few consistent hitmakers, she's combined her ability to entertain with her mission to inspire and uplift her loyal following. "That's really made the difference for me, the people who have made it through because they heard some music I did. They've said, ‘You got me through college.' ‘You got me through a breakup.' It's about taking the experiences that I've had and helping somebody else. I think to be valuable in the world you've gotta open up and be able to share who you are."

So now for the first time in eight years, Chante Moore is sharing her unique talents as a solo star with Love The Woman, and her fans will fall in love with her all over again.

Chante Moore will perform her versatile repertoire as a featured artist on Norman Brown's summer tour kicking off April 20th in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. (See tour dates below)

CHANTE MOORE TOUR WITH NORMAN BROWN

April 26 City Of Lights Festival Las Vegas, NV

May 18 Hyatt Newporter Newport Beach, CA

May 24 Benaryoa Hall Seattle, WA

June 16 Chene Park Detroit, MI

July 20 Oceanside Pier Amphitheater Oceanside, CA

Sept. 19 Hyatt Newporter Newport Beach, CA

Sept. 21 Thornton Winery Temecula, CA


For additional tour dates, please visit www.peakrecords.com

www.chantemooreonline.com

[George]

NEW BIO:


Chante Moore

Since arriving on the R&B music scene over 15 years ago via her sensual debut single "Love's Taken Over," Chante Moore has flourished into an accomplished female favorite. Billboard singles like "It's Alright," "This Time" and the top two smash "Chante's Got a Man" helped put her name on a short list of artists known for consistency. After recording two duet projects with fellow R&B vocalist Kenny Lattimore (also her husband of six years) and achieving regard in the gospel world, the Grammy-nominated vocalist returns to the solo spotlight with her new CD, Love the Woman, due June 17th on Peak Records.

Arriving nearly a decade after her last solo effort, 2000's Exposed, Love the Woman offers fans a new twist on classic Chante via contributions from a host of hit-making producers, her longtime musical mentor George Duke among them. Reuniting with Duke was not only a personal joy but a professional triumph for Chante, who vocally, has grown leaps and bounds since their first studio sessions together back in the early 1990s. She confesses, "He was pretty floored actually. He made me feel really good. It was really exciting for me to hear that; He's George Duke for heaven's sake!" The pair's comfort level transforms into the chemistry that helps create the magic. "George was the first producer that I worked with [on the new disc] because I know that he understands me," she explains. "I knew he would let me have some trial and error in there. He would say, 'Okay, let's try it this way.' I knew he would get what's in me, out of me."

Chante teamed with Grammy-winning producer Raphael Saadiq on the acoustic-flavored "Special," on which she sings about the importance of a woman's self-worth. "It has a great message," says the mother of two. "Every friend I have that's heard it thought it was for them. Most of the people who follow my music, they know that I like empowering women and I like being able to say something that's gonna make you feel better about you. Usually we get stuck in trying to be sexy and not in really valuing who we are as women. That's what I'm about, is making sure that you know who you are." Of working with Saadiq she says, "I like how diverse he is with the way he attacks music. He always seems to have something a little different than what he had before but still has his flavor on it."

Reading emotions is the subject of the "My Eyes," a piano-driven melody produced by Warryn Campbell. The songstress admits hiding emotions has never been her strong suit. "My mother used to say that I'm the world's worst pretender. I like being authentic. I like being true to who I am because if I'm faking it's really not gonna be good anyway. I'm a very emotional person so that song is kind of like me."

Chante also offers a moving, Duke-produced rendition of Minnie Ripperton's "Give Me Time," the song to which she walked down the aisle and into Kenny's arms during their wedding. Recording the track brought up all the emotions she's experienced over the course of their union. "The more I'm in this marriage I realize that there's even more to love than I thought. There's more work involved, there's more emotion that has to be tapped into. It's more than what I thought it was. It takes time to really show somebody what they really mean to you - time and incidents and downfalls and hurt and pain and joy and no money and a lot of money. All those things show you who you really are. I'm learning over and over in different ways what love is about."

Chante revisits her sensual side on the seductive title track, which she co-wrote with producer Jamey Jaz, best known for his work with Rahsaan Patterson. "I think every woman is loved differently but there are similarities to the way we like to be loved. I wanted to describe the love session without being vulgar. I don't like songs that make me feel nasty but I like songs that make me feel sensual."

The lead single, "Ain't Supposed to Be," was written and produced by newcomer Shalea Frazier. Having executive-produced the project, Chante didn't hesitate to leave a bulk of the songwriting to others. It was a departure for the natural-born songwriter, who as a teen wrote her own lyrics to the instrumentals of the music she enjoyed. "I found a lot of great songs….I didn't do too much writing this time but I was really happy with the song choices. The songs were so good I just felt honored to sing great music."

In addition to rock-solid R&B material, Love the Woman gave Chante the opportunity to rekindle her love affair with jazz standards, a seed planted when she was a child. Her father was a minister and jazz pianist with varied tastes in music, while she came by her pipes naturally from her late mother, a singer. She successfully tackles Nancy Wilson's "Guess Who I Saw Today," on which she toys with an unsuspecting cheating lover. And she takes on The Queen of Soul on "Start of Something Big," originally recorded by a very young Aretha Franklin. "I love her old stuff. She had some great music [even prior to her R&B career]. The real quality of her voice then was amazing."

In addition to making music together, Chante and Kenny use their gifts to bring fortune to others, as regular performers at the annual concert benefiting the Rowell Foster Children Positive Plan, the non-profit founded by actress Victoria Rowell. In addition to mentoring a group of young girls at her church, Chante is also at work on a self-help book for women. But long before these endeavors, Chante's has always used her music as a vessel for helping others. "That's really made the difference for me, the people who have made it through because they heard some music I did. They've said, 'You got me through college.' 'You got me through a breakup.' It's about taking the experiences that I've had and helping somebody else. I think to be valuable in the world you've gotta open up and be able to share who you are." Fortunately for music fans, Chante is more than willing to do so.

[George]

[George]

EARLY REVIEW:

Music Review: Chante Moore - Love The Woman
Written by Matthew Milam
Published May 19, 2008

Chante Moore is one of the sexiest veterans of the R&B game. Past the looks, her albums are generally so-so. Her fifth solo album Love The Woman, released under Peak Records, sounds in production like a continuation of her 2000 hip-hop flavored Exposed album. Lyrically the album is about the same as every other CD Moore has created.

Back in my childhood I was a big fan of Peter Cetera, a former member of the group Chicago who went on to a semi-successful career in the 80s as a solo artist. As I got older in the 90s, his albums started to sound the same as well. He even got so bored he had to do a remake of a few of his own Chicago hits.

I am not attacking Cetera or Moore for their "repeat on" style of music. I think they have exceptionally unique voices. My issue is that, in terms of style, it seems neither one of them really seem to be able to break from their past albums. I'd, for one, like to see Timberland do a track with Cetera.

When I hear Raphael Saadiq (Toni, Tony, Tone) and Warryn Campbell (who produced some albums for Mary Mary), I figure that at least they would push some sort of spice into the mix of the usual relationship tales Moore likes to spin. Unfortunately, 10 out of the 11 tracks are just filler material.

The upsetting part for me was that she really came into her own on one track — "Guess Who I Saw Today". It's a jazzy, breezy sort of song that fits in with her voice, but I really wish it wasn't a remake of a Nancy Wilson song. George Duke, who produced hits for the likes of Gladys Knight and Anita Baker, should have right away re-did the album to a more jazz-oriented sound.

Hell, she could grab some points from Dana Owens herself since she's dabbled a bit in that genre in her post-rap career.

She really seems to have even more fun with Aretha Franklin's "Start Of Something Big", which on my player appeared as a hidden track on the album. I never actually heard of this song, but Chante obviously does the remake justice by putting her complete soul into it. She skits and scats and sounds like she's playing a girl who would literally yank a man into a passionate kiss without any questions.

The release date for this album is June 17th. That's three weeks away. There's still time left for Chante to scrap this CD and try her hand at more songs in the style of the two I mentioned. Not only would it make the album sound different from the rest of her catalog, but it would actually mean that she's moving forward, not backward.

I wouldn't purchase Love The Woman just to get the two tracks I like. Borrow it from a friend or purchase an MP3 of them if you can. If you know Chante or are part of a fan club, please tell her if she can't re-do this album to try to lean towards songs like those two. If she ever does that, it might really be the start of something big for her.

[Deleted]

This album is terrible. It's very subpar for her. I only like two tracks.

[George]

Chante Moore speaks with MCP!

Terrell: Alright. Now, your last album “Exposed” was pretty much mainstream R&B for the most part. What made you return to the Adult/Contemporary/Jazz sound this time around for this new album?

Chante Moore: Well, I think what’s more important to me now that wasn’t as important to me then is….I think the record company at the time was like “You need to go more R&B and more mainstream” and all that…..and sometimes you kind of morph yourself into doing what they want to promote because you have to work together with your record company, whether you like it or not sometimes…well, really all the time. Because if they’re not going to support the album that you’re making, what’s the point? But, at the same time, making the “Exposed” album was fun, it was a lot of fun. Working with Jermaine Dupri and kind of stepping out of my comfort zone to do something a little different was fun. My marketing team then is now my management team. So the whole marketing strategy and working on that album was just so much fun. But, I think where I am now, I wish the industry would go back to focusing on the music. Go back to listening and feeling what it is you’re singing about. As opposed to saying “Wow, this beat is jamming’, what’s it about?….I don’t know.” Music needs to be a little more intellectual than it has been. Things have gone a little left. So far left to the point that I don’t want my daughter listening to the radio. Because if I ever hear singing about some of the topics they have being played on the air today, she’s gonna get a whooping…..and I don’t care who knows it. (laughs)

Terrell: (laughs) I know that’s right.

Chante Moore: I mean, that’s just not what I want to hear coming out of her mouth. Even the adults 25 and up. We want to hear something for us and not just stuff for the teenagers, you know? We want to be able to hear something that puts us in the mood. I’m not talking about “Hi there. Just met ya…can I lay you down?” (laughs) No! That’s not the way I live, it’s just not.

Full interview coming June 9th!

Chante speaks about her new solo album, the current state of the industry, her undying faith, and much more!

www.middlepromotions.com/forum

[marcjm]

When exactly does her CD come out?

[SHOOTER]

Jun 15, 2008 19:38:10 GMT -5 marcjm said:

When exactly does her CD come out?

Tuesday.

[George]

$9.99 at Circuit City this week, the only retailer offering an exclusive bonus track ("This Could Be The Start of Something").

[SHOOTER]

Jun 16, 2008 1:47:11 GMT -5 George said:

$9.99 at Circuit City this week, the only retailer offering an exclusive bonus track ("This Could Be The Start of Something").

I believe that it's a hidden track on the album.

[George]

Promotional flyer from her MySpace:

[areyoureadytojump]

Out today in the USA!!

Circuit City: $9.99

[Deleted]

All Music Guide gave the album 2.5/5, her lowest rating to date.

Following two Top Ten R&B albums with husband Kenny Lattimore, Chanté Moore goes alone for the first time since 2000's Exposed. Her fifth solo album, Love the Woman, won't catch anyone off guard, especially those who heard the Moore/Lattimore albums. It sounds like a natural extension of Exposed, in fact, even though it clearly had a lower production budget (she's now on an independent) and is not aiming at the pop chart; while Tim & Bob, "Tricky" Stewart, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Jermaine Dupri collaborated on Exposed, the names here -- like George Duke and Raphael Saadiq -- aren't quite as mainstream-oriented. Moore switches between directly addressing issues within mature relationships and reflective material that is often closer to life coaching than soul searching. There's enough space left for some seduction, too, but since many of the slow-pulse productions run together, with little to distinguish themselves from one another, it can take a couple listens to grasp which is which. It doesn't help that the only truly uptempo track, "Can't Do It," does not fit into this smooth and polished set in any way, with its vinyl crackle, overbearing horn blurts, touches of unnecessary vocal effects, and lyrics Moore does not seem to be feeling all that much.

[George]

I just got my copy a few mins ago.

Wow, there were only 2 left @ Circuit City, so I wonder if:

1) Her label didn't ship that much
OR
2) People are taking advantage of the sale price & bonus track

Anyways, go pick it up if you're interested!

[George]

Jun 16, 2008 2:35:39 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

Jun 16, 2008 1:47:11 GMT -5 George said:

$9.99 at Circuit City this week, the only retailer offering an exclusive bonus track ("This Could Be The Start of Something").

I believe that it's a hidden track on the album.

Is it? The advance that leaked a few weeks ago doesn't include it at all.

[SHOOTER]

Are any other retailers besides CC carrying her album?

[George]

A couple reviews...

Chante Moore sticks to roots with 'Love The Woman':
Published Wednesday June 18th, 2008
Jonathan Landrum Jr., THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Over the course of her 15-year career, Chante Moore has thrived off of songs about the essence of love and relationships - especially with her two albums with hubby Kenny Lattimore.

So it's fitting - even after eight years without a solo project - that Moore would stick with the similar formula that earned her three gold-selling albums during 1990s.

On her new album, "Love The Woman," her lyrical approach is very familiar to past hits "Chante's Got a Man" and "Love's Taken Over." But that's not a bad thing, as Moore flourishes with her soulful, high-pitched vocals on the slow-paced track "It Ain't Supposed To Be This Way." On the George Duke-produced rendition of Minnie Ripperton's "Give Me Time," she recalls her unsteady emotions before falling for Lattimore.

"Time measures love/And I don't know why/My love before I met you/I just could not feel/Then you touch my heart and taught me to live," she bellows on the song.

Moore also strives to empower her fellow woman to understand their self worth on "Special," a smooth acoustic guitar track produced by Raphael Saddiq. On the piano-driven melody, "My Eyes," Moore insists that hiding emotions isn't her best trait.

Moore's lyrics aren't that fresh compared to her previous projects. But she still understands what works for her and what her fans expect her to produce.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: The Nancy Wilson remake "Guess Who I Saw Today" is a jazzy song as Moore harmonizes well with her calm, soft-toned voice, describing her attempts to catch a cheating lover.

Posted on Tue, Jun. 17, 2008
By JONATHAN TAKIFF
Philadelphia Daily News

ENDANGERED SPECIES: Soul-pop veteran Chante Moore returns in primo fashion on "Love the Woman" (Peak Records, B+), offering good life lessons (like "Always Gonna Be Something") and only one bad example, a cover of the adultery-spotting "Guess Who I Saw Today."

ArtistDirect.com Reviews
Chante Moore possesses a soothing voice that coos softly and dreamily into your ear. She once again proves that she all the makings of an R&B, neo-jazz diva on Love the Woman, carrying herself with grace and class that many of her diva-like peers are often lacking. While it's true that Moore doesn't quite have, or even bother to attempt, the glass, mirror and other assorted valuable shattering range of fellow R&B songstresses such as Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston, she does sing her ass off in a much more subtle but just as high impact way.

It doesn't hurt that Moore looks absolutely fabulous at the age of 41. Her voice hasn't cracked, diminished or lost its luster through the years, either. She's a singer ripe for the average Jane's taking. On the album, Moore prefers to keep things level and to hang out smack dab in the middle of the road, establishing herself as somewhat of a diva by the people, of the people and for the people.

Love the Woman is a warm 'n cozy slice of urban, yet adult contemporary music that any gal who likes to sip on a Cosmopolitan or to have Sex and the City DVD marathons with her girlfriends. For the most part, Moore's songs are slow, but she isn't afraid to speed up the tempo and invite her listeners in for a little barefoot dance session, either.

— Amy Sciarretto 06.06.08

[George]

MTV.com News:
...Elsewhere on the chart, British metallers Judas Priest's latest, Nostradamus, opens at #11, having sold 42,000 copies during its first week in stores. It marks the highest chart position for an album by the band in the U.S. Rapper Blood Raw's My Life: The True Testimony enters at #30, with 17,400 sold. 2 Pistols' Death Before Dishonor bows at #33, shifting nearly 15,800 copies. Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer follows at #46, with 12,900 units snatched up, while R&B chanteuse Chanté Moore's Love the Woman debuts at #110, having scanned 6,400 copies. The Hold Steady's Stay Positive enters the chart at #170, after selling close to 3,900 copies, and pop act Prima J's self-titled debut follows at #172, selling just 34 fewer units.

[SHOOTER]

She did better than I thought she would.

[George]

Chante Moore: On Love, Relationships and Her CD ‘Love The Woman’
By Duane Wells | Article Date: 7/03/2008 12:00 AM

I first met R&B songstress Chante Moore back in 2000 when she was in the midst of break-up with her first husband, Kadeem Hardison, best known for his role as Dwayne–Wayne on the popular television series A Different World. Moore was still signed to Geffen Records at the time and promoting a new album entitled Exposed, which featured tracks with titles like “Straight Up” and “Bitter” that seemed tellingly autobiographical.

Nearly a decade later, Moore is back with her first solo record since that time. The album is entitled Love The Woman and like the woman behind it, the collection reflects the kind of musical and personal maturity that could only come with time and wisdom. Moore’s latest plays like a very personal roadmap to relationships, each song exploring some different facet of love. Meanwhile, Moore’s vocals are more seasoned than ever and her take on classics like Nancy Wilson’s “Look Who I Saw Today” and Minnie Riperton’s “Give Me Time” is nothing short of superlative.

In a recent phone conversation, Chante talked to GayWired.com about her new album, surviving in the music biz, love and relationships and using her self-described baby-making album to set the mood, no matter who your partner might be.

GayWired: So Chante, your new album Love The Woman seems to have a very different, shall we say, take on relationships than your last solo project, Exposed…

Chante Moore: You think? [Laughs]

GW: Yeah, I’d say Exposed had a kind of ‘end of a love affair’ thing going on.

CM: And it was. [Laughs]

[That album] was fueled with a lot of different energy. I was newly single and getting over some issues, but feeling very emancipated at the time. I was having a good time but it wasn’t the normal me. It was me after all the things that had happened. I was kinda like, okay... go a little crazy and then come back to center. I wasn’t quite back to center at that time though. [Laughs]

GW: In contrast, Love The Woma, seems to express a much more mature take on relationships. Would you agree with that assessment?

CM: I would say so. I’m learning more and more about how I view love and what I thought it meant to be in love and what I thought it meant to stay in love. It’s more than I thought.



GW: How was it being back in the studio on your own after recording two collections of duets with your husband, Kenny Lattimore?

CM: It was really exciting. The way I approach music isn’t really thought about so much as it is felt and it’s very authentic for me, so it was very exciting to hear what was going to come out.

GW: There is a new depth to this recording and to your vocals on your latest. It almost feels like you’re defining Chante for the very first time, even though you’ve been in the biz for 15 years.

CM: I hope so. I really hope that’s what it feels like because I do know who I am. I think that’s a good thing. I think identifying with yourself wherever you are is a good thing. Being young and excited about music… excited about love and life and learning and all that… that’s also a beautiful place. At each stage in our lives we have to be able to embrace whatever it is that’s going on. I’m very self-reflective. That’s always been a part of who I am.

GW: What has been the most important thing the last 15 years have taught you?

CM: There’s so much. I’d say the most important thing is to understand who you are and why you’re here. I’m an extremely spiritual person and I believe the lord has placed me here for a purpose and to fulfill that purpose is my greatest desire.

I’ve also learned that my focus on men has been too intense. [Laughs] Has been TOO intense! [Laughs]. Really, there should have been more of the ‘to thine own self be true’ behavior and not just talk about it.

It’s easy to say you’re going to put yourself first when things aren’t exactly where they should be or you’re not treated the way you should be. It’s really a fine line where you say ‘I’m not going to sacrifice myself for you’ but then again isn’t that part of what love is? Sacrificing part of yourself for that person? So the balance and the understanding of when you’re supposed to do that and when you’re not… I’m still learning [how to do that].

GW: Oooh, tell it all! Well you just said a mouthful there! So since you mentioned men, let’s talk about one of your most popular songs, “Chante’s Got A Man.” You do realize that’s something of a gay anthem right?

CM: I would imagine so. [Laughs] I didn’t think about it like that but yeah I guess gay men would like that. They could say, ‘I got a man at home too!’ [Laughs]

GW: Is that the song most people identify you with?

CM: Yeah. It’s a good song. I think it sometimes gets misunderstood to be [about] bragging. What the song is really about is if I can find a good man, so can you. There’s good men out there. Don’t just settle for a guy because he’s got pants on. You can get a good man. I want people to date and marry with integrity and not to belittle themselves just to have somebody. [That message] gets a little diluted… people get that a little confused. But the message is really hang on because there’s somebody good coming.

GW: So in real life, Chante does have ‘a man’ these days and he has been your husband for the last six years. You once described one of the album’s you recorded with your hubby as a collection of ‘baby-making music.’ What would you call that collection if a gay couple used it to get in the mood?

CM: Hmmm… let me think about that. My first thought is I’d call it lovemaking music because if you’re in love with somebody that’s what it’s all about. I’m not making babies anymore either. [Laughs] So it’s not baby making music for me either anymore. But you can call it practice! [Laughs] That’s what I call it now. I’m practicing a lot and I’m going to practice for the rest of my life.



GW: What have you seen change most about the music biz since you got your start a decade and a half ago?

CM: It’s not about music anymore. It’s about sex. It’s about politics. It’s about power. We’ve given power to people who don’t know music and they’ve changed what music is about. It’s all generic. Nothing is coming from the soul. It’s all about somebody deciding that’s what [the public] is going to get. We’ve taken the power away from the DJs. It’s not about what they like anymore. They have to press a button. The music is already pre-programmed and they can’t even play a song unless it’s on their list. They can’t just go ‘I love that song, I’m gonna’ play it.’ The day for that is out.

That means that the people who are listening can only hear what’s programmed. People are like ‘Oh that’s my jam’ because they don’t know what any other jam is. They’re like ‘That’s my song’ because they haven’t heard any of other songs or they’re like, ‘Oh I love her’ because the other 16 people waiting to be heard, who are also talented, can’t get heard because they don’t have the same money behind them. So they don’t get heard. That changes everything.

GW: How have those changes affected you and your career?

CM: Not being a person who’s promoted to the extent of other people because I’m not politically the choice, I’ve had a good career. I’ve sustained myself and I thank God for that. I’ve not worked another job since I started this job. So I’m extremely blessed in that way.

But I could have reached another pinnacle in my career that I haven’t reached because of not having that political nod, as they say. So my career hasn’t gone where it could have gone. You know, people haven’t heard of me in the way they’ve heard of other people. But I take it as what’s supposed to happen. And I do like it that I can go somewhere without cameras following me every second and that I can choose when I’m going to be in that kind of environment.

I’m famous enough that I feel like people still want to hear my music, but still not so invaded in every part of my life that I can’t still have one outside of my music. So it’s a catch-22 kind of a thing.

GW: So what is it that you still want in your career?

CM: I love making music. I want to sing when I want to and make good money. [Laughs]

GW: That may be the most honest answer anyone has ever given to that question.

CM: [Laughing] It’s true! I love to sing, but I don’t like the politics and the business of it all. If it could just be about… she’s going to go out there and she’s going to sing or I like that song or I don’t… that would be great. But if nobody hears the song, it doesn’t’ get to be that simple.

I wish the simplicity was back. So I could go sing when I wanted to and then get paid and then go home. I just want to go home after that and enjoy my life because this isn’t my life. This is a job and it’s a beautiful job and a wonderful opportunity, but it’s not my life. I sing about my life, but this isn’t my life. I’d be a little sad person if this was my life. [Laughs]



GW: Speaking of your life. You’re a wife, a mother, and a recording artist. How do you balance all of that?

CM: Mothers have a way of embracing each day differently from the way men do. Men are usually thinking about the business part… making money, paying the bills and how to sustain. For men it’s [about] a ‘to-do’ list rather than a ‘to enjoy’list. For me that’s what it’s about. If it’s work or my son’s graduation, I’m going to be at home for my son’s graduation. If my daughter needs me for something I’m going to be there. That’s what’s important.

That’s what I was saying when I said I sing about my life, but music is not my life.

GW: If you had to sum up Love The Woman in a few sentences, what is that you want people to take away from the album?

CM: That it is about real love. That it is about me learning how to love and how to endure even through the sad times. It’s about my journey. It’s about how the pain is good for you. [Laughs] That the bad part is really a learning experience so that you can have better ups if you learn the lessons.

And that you have to nourish your love. You’ve got nourish everything that is important to you. So I would say appreciate your life and learn from mine.

- Chante Moore’s Love The Woman is in stores now. Buy the CD. For more information on Chante Moore, go to ChanteMooreOnline.com.

[George]

"It Ain't Supposed To Be This Way" moves up to #102 on R&B/Hip Hop Singles, and a new peak of #26 on the Hot Adult R&B this week.

"Love The Woman" falls to @37 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

[damita34]

"Love Action" is AMAZING !

Bought the album today :)