E-Spire Entertainment News

Silk is back on the music scene with a new CD "Always & Forever." It contains classic hits that were originally song by other artists. It's hard to re-do someone else's songs, but these four guys didn't miss a note. Older audiences will appreciate a good harmony. The younger audience will be introduced to love songs that tell a story instead of the normal bump and grind. This is the perfect date CD. It will definately set a romantic mood.

Shelia Goss: Whose idea was it to get back together?
Silk: Actually, we never broke up. We did have one guy who left the group. Gary Jenkins. He had some other interests, such as acting on stage. We never disbanned as a group. We just had to restructure ourselves. We had to figure out what direction we were going to take. We released an independent album in the later part of 2003.

We were in the process of doing another album when we were approached by Shanachie Records. They wanted to know if we were interested in doing a remake album. We thought it would be a good way back into the mainstream. We set down and picked some songs that we enjoy and went and recorded them. We are re-asserting ourselves. We are re-defining our place in the industry right now.

Shelia: I like the remake album. The songs you chose were 10 of my favorites; especially Secret Garden.
Silk: It's good to be reminded of good music. We were reminded that it was a lot of good quality music out there and now other people are being reminded as well. It's timeless music. You can slide Secret Garden or Adore right next to Meeting in my Bedroom or Freak Me in your Silk collection.

Shelia: If you like slow jams, this new CD is definately one to add to your personal collection.
Silk: One thing we're learning is that there are a lot of fans that still appreciate and respect what we bring to the industry. When those fans are aware that we have products out there, they go support us and that's beautiful.

Shelia: You'll probably gain some new fans. The younger generation are more into hip-hop but they like a good slow song too.
Silk: It works both ways. We're picking up some fans that are older or fans whose musical tastes were more mainstream. The reality is the music we make is love making music or what some call baby making music.

On this remake album, it's something on there for everybody. It's a CD you can play in the middle of the day, in your office or at your family reunion.

Shelia: How long did it take you guys to put the album together?
Silk: It took about 3 1/2 months once we focused on grinding it. We wanted to make the 4th quarter because it's important to us to come behind this album with a regular Silk album.

Shelia: How did you decide who would sing lead and on what songs?
Silk: In our group, John John has become like the lead. We appreciate having a "go to" guy like on a football or basketball team. We picked songs that we knew would compliment what he brings as a front man and compliment us as a group from a harmony standpoint. With Secret Garden, we chose that song, because each individual would be able to do their thing. With that song, it was a place for all of us. The purest testament to what we could do as individuals is on that song.

Shelia: Another song I heard that brought back memories was Two Occasions. That's a classic in my book.
Silk: We picked songs that we enjoyed. It was important that we picked songs that we felt good about.

Shelia: Are you finished with your next CD or are you still working on it?
Silk: We are working on it. One good thing about the remake album is the exposure we're getting. A lot of people who are producers had forgotten about us, so the exposure translates into possibly working with some other respectable producers.

Shelia: You guys have seen the ups and downs of the music industry. What kind of advice would you give aspiring singers?
Silk: Do it because you love it. Do it because it doesn't matter if you singing in front of 5 or 50,000 and you'll be content. Be true to your craft and allow that to carry you on your journey.

Shelia: Do all of the members of the group write?
Silk: Everybody writes and we all have production skills.

We've reached a good point in music. Lionel Richie was saying he stayed in the game long enough for the music to come back around to what he does. I think that's what's happening to all of us who are R & B cats who sing about love.

Silk's Always and Forever is in stores now.

To see video of Secret Garden:

Quicktime: http://link7.streamhoster.com/?u=elemental&p=%2Fsilk_secretgarden.mov&odaid=4873

Windows Media: http://link7.streamhoster.com/?u=elemental&p=%2Fsilk_secretgarden.wmv&odaid=4873

Interview by entertainment writer Shelia M Goss. She's also the national bestselling author of My Invisible Husband. To read more interviews or find out more about this writer, visit her website http://www.sheliagoss.com.