For David....."M" means "Musician"
Amid the disposability that characterizes today’s pop music world, its easy t o presume that the balance between catchiness and substance has been forever lost, or as smome would simplify it, ‘a song can’t be deep and still be a hit
Enter David M. Though he is presently a new name for the music market (this year’s Rebel Salute was his first on any major stage show) his career has had a gestation period longer than that of an elephant. This is due in part to the fact that David, who grudgingly accepted his late father’s edict to do formal music training from age 6 (and in fact finished Grade 8), had to come to terms with himself as a musician, much less as a vocalist.
That process took him , at various times, into the music classes of Foster Davis and then Paulette Bellamy. “That was the first time I can recall truly enjoying the whole muic process,” he says of his stint with the latter. Through Bellamy, he made it into the then School of Music Orchestra before venturing outside the performance world and on to the now legendary Aquarius Records, where he met – among others – Harold Butler and Dean Fraser. Then there was Law School, and later, on the death of his father, into the family business alongside his brother.
But the siren song of a music career was gently persistent and it led him first to New York City, where the competitive cauldron of live and recorded music proved a bit too hot at the time, but in the longer strategic run of things, immensely beneficial.
On returning to Jamaica, he met Gussie Clarke of Music Works and after what can only be summarized as a “proving period” he wound up writing songs for many artistes on the label, including JC Lodge, Deborah Glasgow (remember her?), Gregory Isaacs (for whom he penned three tracks on the “Night Nurse” album) and Freddie McGregor
Every career has a defining moment and David’s came via Warner Bros studios, which was then seeking a reggae (or maybe “reggae-type”) song for inclusion on the soundtrack to the movie “Basketball Diaries” (which helped bringer wider notice to one Leonardo Di Caprio). The song, voiced by Farenheit, did not eventually end up on the soundtrack album, but for David, the experience, and the latitude he had in coming up with the tune, would set him firmly on the path that he now travels.
Even though shifting economic winds led him back into the family business, music would never again be on the back-burner, and he resolved to apply himself with the aim of becoming as “complete and as accomplished a musician as anybody out there internationally”.
Its too early, of course, to declare mission accomplished, but the early returns are very encouraging. “Lest We Forget” his present single, is getting solid airplay locally, and the video is also enjoying consistent rotation on BET-J. “I approached Adrian Lopez (of Liquid Light Studio) who’s my cousin and notwithstanding that, he did a great job and even playing the single for people within and outside of the biz, everybody like it, so I’m happy about that as a first step.”
Poised on the heels of “Lest We Forget” is the haunting “Middle Passage” a poetic reference to the impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade and its legacy, a song of which he is particularly proud of since he wrote and produced it himself. (Syreeta Lewis is featured on vocals)
But lest anyone presume that David M is only good for “message music” there is also the bouncy mid-tempo hip-hop dance number “Here Comes Your Life” a track which in this writer’s humble opinion, deserves to become a summer anthem once it hits the streets within the next six to eight weeks or so. After listening to a plethora of EuroDance hits, re-mixes of hot R&B tunes and other sounds, he came up -after a second attempt – with the sound he was searching for and the result is truly inescapable, a near flawless blend of pop sensibilities and personal reflection.
“Here Comes Your Life” indeed all his songs reflect that approach to songwriting borne of his manifold 70s musical influences. “Growing up, I wanted to go with my friends to see the famous One Love concert at the Stadium, but my father wouldn’t let me, and even now, the thought that I didn’t get to see Bob live… I could cry.”
But there’s little time for mourning past heroes (official or otherwise), not with a legacy of his own to build. “Right now, the focus is on continuously improving my craft and developing the material stock, so that when the record companies come calling, we can be ready for the right deal.” In actual fact, there have already been expressions of interest, but all too premature to be disclosed or discussed. Additionally, an international agency has expressed interest in using “Lest We Forget” as part of its campaign, but that too, is in train.
Weighing in on the state of the overall music industry, he believes – without antagonizing anyone – that “black music needs to step up; artistes shouldn’t have to resort to the clichés of violence and sex to be successful.” We need, he adds, a reassessment. More of our indigenous artistes should be listening to those acts that have something to say.
And David M intends to be – indeed remain – one such act. There’s still so much to write about,” he maintains. “It’s not about being perfect, just having values and experiencing life.”
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