With this record, I'm going back to my roots,” says Ruben Studdard of I NEED AN ANGEL, his J Records sophomore album. “I've only been singing non-spiritual material for about three or four years, gospel music was all I sang before that, so doing an inspirational record was a natural thing for me." The dynamic singer - who initially won the hearts of audiences nationwide as the 2003 winner of the hit television series, “American Idol” and followed through with SOULFUL, his double-platinum Grammy-nominated J Records debut, brings conviction and honesty to I NEED AN ANGEL which includes production from award-winning hit-maker R. Kelly who wrote and produced the inspiring first single also entitled, “I NEED AN ANGEL.” Producers Warryn Campbell (known for his work with gospel duo Mary Mary, Luther Vandross, Brandy, Dru Hill) and Eric Dawkins (of the gospel group Dawkins & Dawkins and writer of songs recorded by Quincy Jones, Tyrese, Commissioned and CeCe Winans) produced 9 tracks on the album encompassing new versions of several inspirational classics and traditional tunes. The album is rounded out with a Studdard original composition, "Don't You Give Up", and "We Have Not Forgotten" featuring and produced by Fred Hammond.
Ruben's strong foundation in the music he grew up singing every Sunday in his native Birmingham, Alabama is evident on his renditions of everything from his plaintive, heartfelt reading of the classic “Amazing Grace” to the traditional spiritual “Fix It, Jesus”(a song he learned from gospel quartet Canton Spirituals). "Gospel music is what I was raised on and is the foundation for all things musically for me. I am incredibly passionate about every song we selected to record for this album, each song has a special meaning," says Ruben, who won an NAACP Image Award for his debut album and spent much of late 2003 and early 2004 touring across the country, giving audiences a first-hand look at why his emotive performances brought him national recognition and acclaim week after week during “American Idol.”
Handpicking the material for I NEED AN ANGEL, Ruben looked for songs that were longtime favorites like gospel great Richard Smallwood's "Center Of My Joy." Ruben recalls. “I've been singing it for as long as I can remember and I've always loved it so it was a natural choice for this album.” Ruben's powerful reading of “Center Of My Joy” demonstrates just why Sunday mornings in church were such an important part of his upbringing: “That's a song that was one of the first solos I ever did as a child from the time I was around eight or nine.”
Produced by Warryn Campbell, Fred Hammond's “Runnin' Back To You” is another Studdard prime choice: “Fred was one of the first gospel singers who really inspired me. I think “Runnin' Back To You” is one of the strongest songs of all time. The song really talks about our relationship with God and how He gives us a chance to come back even if we stray away. When I was recording the song, I tried to stay true to what Fred did while still bringing something new to it.” Hammond contributed the song “We Have Not Forgotten" to Ruben's critically acclaimed SOULFUL disc and he says, “When he found out that he was one of my biggest musical influences, he called me when I was on American Idol.” He became a real mentor for me during the show and then after it was over, he wrote “We Have Not Forgotten” for me. I felt like a big kid being in the studio with him and the choir. It was an amazing experience.”
Ruben says working with superstar R. Kelly was another “incredible opportunity. It was really wonderful working with him” and adds that sessions with producers Campbell and Dawkins were just as fulfilling. His work with Campbell included a remake of “Ain't No Need To Worry, featuring Mary Mary, is the 1987 hit for The Winans (which featured Anita Baker) and Ruben notes, “The Winans were the biggest gospel group in the ‘80s and ‘90s and no doubt, among my very favorite singers.” With Dawkins, Ruben cut the traditional hymns “I Surrender All” and “There Is Not A Friend,” two songs he also sang on many a Sunday morning at the Rising Star Baptist Church in Birmingham as well as “Shout To The Lord,” a popular worship song associated with Darlene Zschech. Says producer Dawkins, "I think it's [a] bold statement for Ruben to release an inspirational record at this point in his career. He's saying ‘This is what I stand for, this is what I believe in, this is where I come from.' You get the best performance when something is coming your heart and your vision. I think people will really appreciate this record."
It seems that music lovers have been showing their appreciation from the first time the singer, born Christopher Ruben Studdard (and known to his family as “Chris”) expressed his natural talent at age three. “My mother was in the local choir. I went to pre-school church and it was a teacher there who first heard me sing. I was doing solos at a young age; my first one was “I'm Yours, Lord.” I continued singing in church and in school and I listened to all kind of music at home,” he recalls. “My mom and dad had a lot of albums. I remember my mom particularly loved Donny Hathaway songs like “For All We Know” and “A Song For You.” I heard a lot of gospel music too: I used to listen to the group Commissioned and of course, Fred Hammond.” Other musical influences included Stevie Wonder and J Records label mate Luther Vandross and although Ruben went to Alabama A&M University on a football scholarship, it was music that constantly called to him. “Both parents being teachers, they were really into me getting my education. My mom knew that I loved music, of course, so she'd say ‘I know you can be a wonderful music teacher!' But I just knew that I wanted a career in music: I was a voice major in college and after I left in the spring of 2000, I gave myself five years to make it as a singer!”
In addition to being part of a local gospel group, God's Gift, Ruben also sang in and around Birmingham with the jazz and R&B band Just A Few Cats. “We did local clubs, concerts, the whole nine. We were the most popular and sought after group in the city,” Ruben says. “We hadn't recorded a demo but we were planning to.” Fate stepped in when one of the group's background singers, Sherita Duff asked Ruben to go with her to an audition for the second season of “American Idol” in Nashville: “She just wanted me to come along so she wouldn't be there by herself,” he remembers. Figuring he had nothing to lose, Ruben entered the contest himself and was one of the local finalists to end up in Hollywood for the top rated show.
Week after week, Ruben impressed the show's avid viewers with performances on songs like “Superstar” and the Oscar and Grammy-winning Peabo Bryson/Regina Belle duet “A Whole New World” and along the way, he elicited praise from such industry veterans as Neil Sedaka, Lionel Richie and the Bee Gees' Robin Gibb who told Ruben that his version of “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” was the best he'd ever heard; the song ended up as one of the standouts on Ruben's 2003 debut album.
Legendary SOULFUL diva Gladys Knight nicknamed Ruben the “Velvet Teddy Bear” and in May 2003, with over twenty-four million callers logged, Ruben was proclaimed the winner of the six-month competition. “I got over stage fright early in life so I never got nervous doing the show and since a career in music is what I always wanted, winning was truly the fulfillment of my dreams!”
Working with Clive Davis, Chairman BMG North America, and hit making producers such as The Underdogs, Irv Gotti, Harold Lilly and Swizz Beatz, the singer began work almost immediately on SOULFUL which featured “Flying Without Wings” and Leon Russell's “Superstar”, a two-sided hit that reached No. 2 on both Hot100 and R&B Singles at the end of June 2003; Ruben earned his first Grammy nomination for “Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male” for his emotive reading of “Superstar” which was one of the most played cuts on urban radio during the last six months of 2003.
His home state declared March 11, 2003 “Ruben Studdard Day” and as he told JET magazine, “I'm from Alabama and it's hard for us to get “Hollywood”. If you are who you say you are and you're real, it should be hard to change your personality overnight.” A national tour with fellow “American Idol” finalists took Ruben across country in the fall of 2003 and he was featured on the “American Idol Great Holiday Classics” CD singing renditions of time-honored tunes “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and Donny Hathaway's “This Christmas.” He appeared on virtually every major U.S. television show, including “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, “The Today Show” and “The View,” promoting SOULFUL and his work paid off as the album sold over two million copies thanks to prime cuts like “Sorry 2004,” “Don't Quit On Me,” “Play Our Song,” “Can I Get Your Attention,” “After The Candles Burn” and “No Ruben” as well as memorable covers of “For All We Know,” a song Ruben considered a tribute to the late Donny Hathaway.
After more touring, Ruben began to work on I NEED AN ANGEL. “Not many secular artists have done gospel or inspirational albums since Aretha Franklin recorded “Amazing Grace” in the ‘70s and I think the gospel market will be open to me doing this new album. Of course, I'm hoping that the folks who bought SOULFUL will buy this because we tried to make sure the music on I NEED AN ANGEL comparable to what's on the radio today.”
Certainly, with the list of accomplishments he's racked up in the space of just eighteen months - including receiving an NAACP Image Award, an honor that makes him particularly proud - Ruben Studdard can find many reasons to be grateful: he considers his latest project as an opportunity to express that gratitude through his honest interpretation of songs of praise, faith and inspiration, delivering music that showcases his natural SOULFUL sound: “I just keep fulfilling all my dreams and making this album has certainly been one of them!”
