Singled Out: Red Rosamond's PLEASE
(Day in Pop) Alt-R&B/Soul artist Red Rosamond just released her debut album "WIP," and to celebrate we asked her to tell us about the song "PLEASE". Here is the story:
This song arrived like a beam of sunshine one day while I was experimenting with a breakbeat sample above my parents' garage. As I worked on the instrumental, it made me smile-a change of pace from the heavier songs I had been working on. I found the funk guitar line and quickly jumped on the mic, having fun. This song went through countless iterations before it became what it is today-dozens over the years, in fact. Even up until mixing, I took it back to the studio to refine it and try to reach its full potential. It's a fun song to sing despite being bittersweet, as it's about being in love while also struggling with how to love openly and vulnerably.
When I was young and in car rides with my family, the only music that was agreed to by everyone always was a 5-disc Greatest Soul Hits compilation. The incredible soul music that surged through my prepubescent body left an imprint as deep as the friendship bracelets that pressed against my cheek on countless nights. Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Jackson Five, Al Green, all of these vocal giants completely lit my soul on fire and still do now. Without them there is truly no me. "PLEASE" is by far the most vocally dynamic song I've recorded, and I have each and every soul singer I studied, sung along to at the top of my lungs, and was mesmerized by to thank for that. Their contributions changed my life; their courage to voraciously express their emotions continues to heal me time and again and inspires me through and through.
As I mentioned, the moment I hit send on "PLEASE" to get mixed, I immediately knew it was missing something. It's that immediate barometer-you don't know where you are with something until you show it to someone. It takes less than a second for your gut to brutally serve you its honest opinion. Neal Pogue, the genius and artful mixing engineer behind innumerable incredible artists including Tyler, the Creator, Outkast, Steve Lacy, and Earth, Wind & Fire, was gracious enough to let me take the song back to sort it out. Neal is wise like a wizard, and his passion for art and his respect toward true artists is, quite frankly, a f***ing unicorn in this industry.
With the song now back in my hands, I instinctively knew it needed a really present bassline-something funky, something with movement and energy. Sam Wilkes was the call. I found out about Sam Wilkes through working with Dave Taylor (SWITCH). Dave has great taste and impeccable curation-the type of person whose record collection and brain you want to sift through. Dave is the brilliant savant who had a massive hand in some of the most incredible and daringly unique music ever released, like MIA's "Paper Planes" and Major Lazer, etc. So, it comes as no surprise that when picking a bass player for Chaka Khan's "Like Sugar," he called up Sam. Just like "PLEASE," Sam is a literal beam of sunshine-the type of person who has a spirit with a warmth akin to a Jim Henson muppet and, at the same time, a depth that feels profound and soulfully poetic. Once I had the bass line from Sam, I was re-inspired.
Enter Alex Bilowitz. Alex comes zooming round the corners of my brain like 007 in an Aston Martin because I am hearing the need for some organ, some real Booker T & The Mg's dripping with vibe organ. Alex and I had worked together in LA and immediately I could tell this guy was the real deal. His musical taste is exceptional, but what stood out most to me was that he did not shy away from unique, left-of-center ideas. We kept in touch through Instagram, and a few posts later, I saw it. I saw his fingers tickling some ivories, and there it was-his unmistakable, coolest cat in New York City ability to emote through the keys. I wasn't surprised; I was filled with the type of joy you only get when witnessing someone in their element. Alex has been a part of some massive hits like BTS' "BUTTER" and has worked with icons like Billy Porter and Megan Thee Stallion, so there's that. But even cooler is that, with so much under his belt, it took him less than 30 seconds to write me back saying, "Send me the song; I'll see what I can come up with," and within 24 hours, he sent me back multiple stems of incredible, tasteful, downright dirty organs that make your nose and forehead scrunch together in full-on stink face as you go, "Ooooo!"
I knew I needed live horns. To me, horns are fundamental. Maybe it was listening to a lot of Sam & Dave as a kid, or maybe it's the undeniable power horns have to be both warm and round and piercingly emotive and powerful. A horn can change a song, change a person even lol. I got Danny T. Levin's number from Jake Reed. I met Jake through Sam (the bass player). Jake laid down drums for a lot of the album as well as percussion, which he added to "PLEASE." Jake, like Sam, was an instant smile of a human. He is a fellow vintage aficionado and esteemed player who, when I emailed him about horn players, sent me Danny.
Danny has a guy named David Moyer who plays sax; together, they created the LA indie pop jazz group/horn section DD Horns. I sung some horn lines into my iPhone and sent them through to them, and the result is what you hear on "PLEASE."
By the time "PLEASE" got back to Neal, it was more dynamic, alive, and had breath to it. It felt more like a celebration and a party. Neal Pogue is the elder statesman of sound-a wise and seasoned artisan whose expertise and vibe are woven into the fabric of the music he touches. With a singular, one-of-a-kind artistic voice, he sculpts the sonics with precision, blending creativity and technical mastery in a way only he can.
Roll out the red carpet for the final touch, the last hands to shape the song- Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer. I met Mike through two of my favorite people I had the pleasure of working with when I lived in LA, whose production duo goes by The Gifted. One day while I was working with The Gifted, one of them said something like, "You should meet our friend Mike; he has literally mastered all of the music you love. He's also Canadian." Mike, like Neal, is a very rare, exceptional human whose love for music and leaving a legacy behind stands at the forefront of who he is. Mike won a Grammy for his contribution to a little song you may have heard of- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino, for god's sake! Mike's hands shape the invisible, transforming frequencies into emotion. It's f***ing magical, to be honest.
I have the absolute joy of experiencing what my music is before it is mixed to after it is mastered. Neal & Mike have worked together on some of my favorite music including my favorite album of the past couple of years, Grammy awarded and highly inspiring to me while I was working on my new album, WIP, Tyler the creator's Call Me If You Get Lost. Understand, if you are lucky enough to cross paths with Mike or Neal, your life and music will be better for it.
There are rare collaborators who come along once in a blue moon. These are exceptional humans who are not only gifted but teach you things about yourself, provide support and guidance because they actually care & aim to leave a legacy behind and because of this, don't settle. True artists through and through. These rare gems, if you are lucky enough to have them enter your life, will forever change it. The things you create together become amplified and reach way higher, wider, grandeur than you ever could have imagined. Every contributor to "PLEASE" made it what it is, our combined energy and gifts made it the song that it is. It's the reason I am so confident in saying that if you listen to it, it will make you smile :)
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and stream the full album here
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