Narada Michael Walden Releases Triumphant New Solo Album ‘Still Yours For the Summer’
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Editorial Dept.
Summer isn’t over yet, not if Narada Michael Walden has anything to do with it. Today, the superstar musician and producer – a multi-GRAMMY®-winning hit maker whose No. 1 chart successes include Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and many others – releases his triumphant new solo album, Still Yours For the Summer, an irresistible 14-song soundtrack to hot days and sizzling nights that one can revel in any time of year.
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“Everything I do has heat, but this time I focused that feeling in very specific ways,” Walden says. “I wanted people to feel a warm vibe from the beginning to the end. It recalls the time I had the hit ‘Freeway of Love’ with the great Aretha Franklin – that was played on radios throughout the summer. You’d go on the beach and hear it. I’m taking you back to that spirit with this album.”
Still Yours For the Summer is Walden’s most ambitious and diverse album yet – the songs seamlessly blend disco, R&B, reggae, Afrobeat, Latin rhythms, jazz, rock and more. “I’m letting God’s cosmic energy come through me. I’m not blocking anything out,” Walden says. “I traveled through the universe and landed here to make music with my beautiful band. When you listen to this album, you can go on the same adventure!”
The ride blasts off with “I Love My People Now,” a red-hot metal/hip-hop anthem guaranteed to get pulses racing. “I was inspired by seeing Kendrick Lamar rocking a crowd in Germany,” Walden says. “I took that hardcore energy and brought it to the studio.” Responding to Walden’s own supercharged vocals is a rousing choir comprised of Cornell “CC” Carter, Katie Walden, Kristie Isaacson, Edie Walden and Alex Walden-Kaufman, along with Gerry, Della June and Kayla Bundle. The tune percolates with Ralphe Armstrong’s stunning bass playing, and that virtuoso guitar shred comes courtesy of Vernon “Ice” Black.
Watch the video for “I Love My People Now”:
“Dance Till Sunrise” is a sensuous Afrobeat dance gem that Walden wrote while drawing inspiration from the Bahamas and Jamaica. “I wanted to touch all the beautiful people down there,” he says. “Here’s a song to relax, have some drinks, get in your bathing suits and swim with the dolphins.” The mid-song rap is performed by the American-Nigerian singer Double O, and the song also features a vibey sax solo by Eddie Minnifield, known to fans across the globe for his work with Prince and Shelia E.
Another standout is “Jump Up,” which lives up to its name in every way. Powered by crackling, funky guitar rhythms of ace six-stringer Cam Perridge and the rock-steady bass work by Angeline Saris, it’s a euphoric dance blitz that won’t be denied. Walden calls the track “happiness all the way that’s ready-made for the NBA courts.” For the past few years, he’s mentored a promising young singer named Ivan, and on “Jump Up,” the 11-year-old star turns in a doozy of a rap. “Ivan’s got the goods like few other talents I’ve known,” Walden says. “The whole world will know him soon enough.”
The sweeping title track begins as an aching ballad, with Walden’s poignant vocals floating overtop Justus Dobrin’s elegant piano accompaniment. Then the sky opens and the song crackles with fiery soloing by superstar guitarist (and Walden’s onetime Journey bandmate) Neal Schon. “What can I say about Neal?” Walden says. “There’s never a minute where he doesn’t play his butt off. He and I have this connection – I’ll sing him a melody and he’ll let his guitar cry back to me.”
The buzz on Still Yours For the Summer began with its first single, an effervescent reimagining of Sly Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” which Walden dedicated to the legendary music genius who passed away this year. Whereas the original 1969 hit conjured laid-back summer bliss, Walden’s idea of vacation jubilation is built around a driving disco beat and shimmering, vibrant strings that evokes ‘70s dance floor nostalgia while simultaneously sounding every bit in the present.
Walden’s next single was a complete change of pace – the ultra-funky R&B winner “Bougie Cherry Bomb.” Explaining the inspiration for song’s title, Walden credits his wife and co-writer, Katie. “She was inspired by our son, Michael, who saw a picture of a cherry bomb,” he says. “Katie jumped on that and added ‘bougie,’ which she thought made it a cool thing – it meant high class.” Walden describes the song as “having a bit of a Bruno Mars vibe, the way he can pay homage to an earlier time of funk, but he’s still right now. I do the same thing – I love mixing the two worlds.”
He brought his own worlds together – and turns in a bravura vocal performance – on “I Shoulda Loved Ya 2025,” a state-of-the-art pop-funk remake of Walden’s disco hit from his 1979 album, The Dance of Life. Angeline Saris’ arresting basslines and Walden’s stylish drumming form the basis of an irrepressible dance jam. The track also features Jackson Allen on guitar and Justus Dobrin on keys and programming. Renowned Italian hitmaker Lino Nicolosi, a frequent collaborator with Walden, remixed the track and added guitar and percussion, while his brother and production partner Pino added piano and Hammond B3 organ.
On two cuts – the soaring instrumental “Mahavishnu” (featuring incandescent guitar work by Vernon “Ice” Black) and the spoken-word “I Dreamt of Mahavishnu” – Walden honors his mentor, guitarist John McLaughlin, who hired him to play drums for the jazz-fusion supergroup Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early ‘70s. “I can’t wait for him to hear these tracks,” Walden says. “Without John McLaughlin, I don’t know where I would be right now. Sometimes you just need that one person to change everything for you.”
The record concludes with the Latin-flavored banger “God’s Love is Gonna Take Us There,” which Walden says came about “because God said, ‘You need to write something about the Lord.’ Go out and inspire people with energy.’ So I did.”
Production of Still Yours For the Summer took place at Walden’s San Rafael-based Tarpan Studios as well as Nicolosi Studio in Milan, Italy. Walden, who sang lead vocals, played drums and keyboards, cites the special contributions of Associate Producer “Lieutenant” Cornell CC Carter – “my right hand in choosing the material” – along with engineer and mixer Jim “Jim Jam” Reitzel.
“I can’t wait to let this album out into the world,” Walden says. “People need to feel something positive – with electricity and God’s love. You can party to this record, and you can mellow out to it. It takes you on a trip through the solar system and back again.”
The full tracklisting for Still Yours For the Summer is as follows:
- “I Love My People Now”
- “Hot Fun in the Summertime”
- “Dance Till Sunrise”
- “Keep Shining”
- “Still Yours For the Summer”
- “Bougie Cherry Bomb”
- “Jump Up”
- “Mahavishnu”
- “Aloha Aloha”
- “Last Night I Dreamed of Mahavishnu”
- “I Shoulda Loved Ya 2025”
- “Cowboy Disco”
- “Cool Bounce”
- “God’s Love is Gonna Take Us There”
Stream / Share / Purchase Still Yours For the Summer HERE
On Saturday, Sept. 13, Walden will honor one of his biggest musical heroes, Sly Stone, when he takes part in STAND! – A Celebration of Sly and the Family Stone. The all-star happening will be held at the Mountain Theater in Mount Tamalpais, CA. Curated by musical director Larry Batiste, the event will also include Taj Mahal plus a house band including Sly’s bassist Rustee Allen and members of Graham Central Station.
The tribute is part of the annual Sound Summit festival, which benefits Mount Tamalpais State Park. Tickets are available HERE.
About Narada Michael Walden:
Producing hits for artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin (including the platinum “Freeway of Love.”), Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Wynonna Judd, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Lisa Fischer, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck and The Temptations, the Emmy and multi-Grammy winner (Producer, Album and Song of The Year) has been at the helm of hit music that spans decades. Walden was an integral part of introducing Whitney Houston, (eight number one smashes, three RIAA Diamond Awards) and mega-star Mariah Carey to millions of fans worldwide, producing and writing their breakthrough hits that first brought these divas to the spotlight. Billboard Magazine honored him as one of the “Top Ten Producers of All Time.”
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