M Power: singer David M steppin' up

David M
REMEMBRANCES AND RENEWAL

The first time the video for his song, the haunting remembrance piece, “Lest we Forget” made it onto a major cable channel (the former BET-J), he didn’t even see it - but others did.
“It wasn’t like there was any kind of push behind it,” he recalls. “they saw and heard it and decided that it had to play, and fortunately it was still in the days before everything got centralized (the channel was subsequently rebranded as Centric and is part of the media giant VIACOM).
These days, he’s keeping full track of the progress of his latest single, the bouncy dance number Girls Night Out.” Its playing quite heavily on several local cable channels and, with a concerted effort at promotion this time, it should have a significant impact overseas. “We already getting some play in a number of clubs in the US, which is very encouraging.
There’s been a lot of ground covered between those two datelines – and not all of it pleasant. He has had to cope with the illness and death of his mother, a development which undoubtedly called a temporary halt to his career push. The Grim Reaper also claimed the mother of one of his associates. “Yeah, it got us really bent out of shape for a while, and pretty much at the crest of the summer.”
But time has worked its nearly inevitable work of renewal and, while the loss is still fresh, the attorney-businessman and entertainer is now firmly looking forward and moving ahead with his longtime love: music. He is completing his debut album, which the artiste and his camp have targeted for a spring 2011 release. “We want to give the songs some time to percolate,” he says, “to seep more fully into the public mind, so that by time the album cmes out, people can say, ‘Oh yeah David m, that guy have some wicked tune –let me check this out’”
Its that balance of commercial and creative that has been the hallmark of his musical output to date, as well as the willingness to take on more of the creative and production duties, where appropriate. The fact that his cohorts on the album include some of the best in the business – names like Bowie Mclaughlin, Gibby, Mikey Fletcher and Kirk Bennett – served to encourage rather than deter the still formative singer to have his own input and stamp his own personality on the disc’s 10 tracks.
M has also been busy putting his media grounding in place, doing a number of appearances – mostly in the Us Northeast - and giving sound bites (including to the BBC). In this regard, he’s met some influential fellow travellers, one of whom is James Mtume. The name may not be familiar to the under-30s, but in the early 80s the percussionist-songwriter-producer also led and R&B group that bore his name (their hits included “Juicy Fruit” which was in turn co-opted by the late rapper Biggie Smalls, and “You, Me and He”) and before that he recorded with jazz icon Miles Davis.
He’s also made a link with ace U.S. publicist Tracy Miller, whose current roster includes Amy Winehouse, India.Arie and rap icon DMC (one-third of the legendary group RunDMC with Jam Master Jay). He hopes to realize significant benefits from that connection – and not only in the U.S. “While America is the major market for us right now, we’re not limiting ourselves in any way, and already we have interest coming from Europe, but ant to solidify the base and then expand.”
The “expansion” also includes a heavier presence on the home front, where the aforementioned “Girls Night Out” is garnering much attention, more so than the preceding single, the Euro-beat banger, “here Comes Your Life.” For the “Girls” video, M again turned to trusted ally, Adrian Lopez of Liquid Light studio. “Adrian did another tremendous job for us,” he says. “The whole production is first rate.”
M, who has performed at rebel Salute and a few other local venues, will be stepping up his presence here as well as overseas as the album release approaches. “I feel a real sense of accomplishment with this record, and its not an ego thing,” he reflects. “The balance of songs is great – we have the dance numbers like Girls Night Out and we have weightier songs like Lest We Forget, and I even have a number, called “Remember Me’ that I rap on, so all in all, its a good statement for me at this time.”
A statement which the music world seems increasingly ready to hear.