CAPTION: Lord Solomon, aka Solomon J. Brown, is an emerging singer bringing that Chicago soul (All Photos by Jason Boulware).
From the heart of L-Town, somewhere near Division and Laramie on Chicago’s West Side, emerges a mellifluous singer poised for a breakthrough.
He is Lord Solomon, an accomplished songwriter who has worked with R&B stars like Kehlani and Tank. But with the release of his rich and soulful six-track EP, “Baptize Me Everywhere,” this West Side son is stepping out as an artist.
And don’t let the title fool you.
This isn’t a Gospel record, although the church is embedded into the very fabric of his being (more on this later). His debut EP is very much a neo-soul project, a descendent of a sound popularized by artists like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and Anthony Hamilton.
Although “Baptize Me Everywhere” is only 18 minutes, it’s the aural equivalent of a decadent bite: sweet, earthy and familiar like brown sugar candied yams. And it’s gaining notice among some music industry heavy hitters.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Definitely hear that Chicago soul, super dope. The harmonies, whew, killing them with the harmonies, man. Super soulful, I love it!” said legendary super producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins about Lord Solomon’s work.[/perfectpullquote]
And then there’s Darhyl “DJ” Camper, who has produced for the likes of John Legend, Mary J. Blige and HER, “I love your voice, love the harmonies, I love what you’re saying. I love the cadence.”
The Chicago Defender recently caught up with Lord Solomon, who shared how he fell in love with music and how some adverse events — a bad breakup, a car accident, and the pandemic — led him to create “Baptize Me Everywhere.”
The Launch of a Musical Journey: From Gospel to Classical
When asked when he first fell in love with music, Lord Solomon, aka Solomon J. Brown, said he was around five.
“I had to sing my first solo, and it was for Christmas,” he said, “And it was called ‘Away in a Manger.'” That was my first solo I ever did.”
He said he was a chubby kid who didn’t get much attention. But after that solo, “The whole church stood up.”
“Just the clapping for me and just the adoration, it made me say, ‘Okay, I’m being accepted in this,'” he said. “It made me want to be consistent in music because it gave me some acceptance.”
Lord Solomon’s musical journey officially launched at Michele Clark Middle School on the West Side, where an instructor recognized his vocal talents.
“She was really insistent and persistent on pushing me as a singer and a vocalist,” he said, “And Michele Clark was always known for having an incredible choir. So it started initially there.”
At Michele Clark, Solomon became rooted in Gospel and R&B. Then he started winning vocal competitions at Whitney Young and Lincoln Park High Schools, setting the stage for his next chapter. Solomon attended Carl Schurz High School’s prestigious music academy, which helped him expand his horizons. While there, he learned opera and classical music.
Standing on His Music Business
From Schurz, Solomon earned a scholarship to attend Columbia College Chicago. It was a pivotal chapter where he connected with fellow Chicago music talents like Jonathan McReynolds, [Willie Taylor] of Day 26 and Jeremih.
In a world with too many singers, Lord Solomon decided to major in the music business and become a songwriter at Columbia College.
“If everybody wants to be a performer? How do you stand out?” he asked. “So my desire was to be an actual songwriter.”
It was a decision that would pay dividends. Lord Solomon eventually wrote for Kehlani, Tank and R. Kelly.
From there, he did what any talented, burgeoning artist does when they want to take their career to that proverbial next level: He relocated to Los Angeles.
He enrolled at the renowned 1500 Sound Academy, where his instructors were influential producers Larrance Dopson and James Fauntleroy. Initially, he resisted the idea of being a recording artist, but Dopson and Fauntleroy weren’t having it.
“They just let me know like, ‘Hey, you have a sound of your own. You should branch out to be an artist,” he said.
Eventually, he listened. Then, a series of unfortunate events occurred, including the pandemic.
Adversity, ‘Baptism’ and A New EP
Victory despite the suffering. Perseverance through pain.
However you term it, all the spiritual traditions touch on the eternal predicament of human adversity and the need to persevere. One Buddhist sect coins it as “turning poison into medicine.” In Christianity, it’s personified through the story of Job and captured in James 1:2-4 from the Bible:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Lord Solomon began working on the album around 2018. But it was pure adversity, including the pandemic, that would compel him to create “Baptize Me Everywhere.” And this album doesn’t allude to an actual baptism. It’s chiefly concerned with the kind birthed by fire — heartbreak, hardship and things like that.
The heartbreak is what started it all.
“Dealing with rejection from a toxic relationship,” Solomon said, recalling the event that would get him started on his EP, “It broke me to where I had no more strength.”
And there was more.
“I was in a car accident. I was not getting gigs, not getting work as a songwriter. And then the very thing I thought was dependable for me was a relationship. That person decided to leave me. So, I felt I was broken. I didn’t have anything else to give.”
Thus, he started writing “My Strength is Gone,” which leads off “Baptize Me Everywhere.”
After the car accident, he moved back to Chicago from LA.
“And a month after moving to Chicago, that’s when COVID hit,” he said.
“So, I was stuck here in Chicago, and I started working on my EP during COVID.”
Reception and Recognition: A Musical Triumph
Since its release in April, around the tax deadline, the reception to “Baptize Me Everywhere” has been pretty good for this reluctant singer.
Lord Solomon has garnered nearly a half million streams and has almost 14,000 Spotify listeners monthly. He won a Chicago Music Award earlier this year. He received offers to perform on various platforms, including The Jennifer Hudson Show, the daytime talk show hosted by the Grammy Award-winning artist.
As Lord Solomon basks in the success of his debut, his eyes are set on the future. With plans for a second EP, “Call It,” in 2024, he aims to expand his fanbase and solidify his presence in the industry.
“I would love to have a Grammy in the near future, hopefully by 2025,” he said, “Then once I’m there, I’m going to release a real album in 2025.”
Despite his contention, “Baptize Me Everywhere” feels every bit as real, as it showcases a gifted singer who carries on the tradition of the great Chicago soul singers who alchemize Gospel, Soul and Blues and create enchantment.
Like them, his sound is also forged by the fire of adversity and imbued with the crackle of resilience.
Baptism.
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