Levert II looking to bring back ‘grown folks’ music

R&B duo Levert II is hoping to bring back music that grown folks can listen and relate to. Singers Marc Gordon and Blaq Rose are determined to reinstate the element of soul in R&B, which they feel has been missing for a little while now.

R&B duo Levert II is hoping to bring back music that grown folks can listen and relate to. Singers Marc Gordon and Blaq Rose are determined to reinstate the element of soul in R&B, which they feel has been missing for a little while now.

“I feel like the music has lost its feeling,” Rose told the Defender. “A lot of it sounds manufactured. I call it microwave music, it’s ready in an instant. There’s a lot of feel-good music out there, but it’s kind of lost the passion and soul of it.”

Gordon agrees, saying that, “It caters to one crowd. There isn’t a lot of baby-making music anymore. There’s not a lot of music for a person over 30.”

With their new album, Dedication, Gordon and Rose hope to bring those aspects of the music back, while incorporating that classic Levert sound. “We try to keep some of the same vibe of what we were doing as the original group (LeVert) and put it into what we are doing now,” Gordon said.

After making its mark in the mid 80s and 90s with hits like Casanova and Baby I’m Ready, R&B/Soul trio LeVert–original members consisting of Gerald and Sean Levert and Gordon–disbanded to pursue individual opportunities. But before a reunion could be planned, tragedy stuck in 2006 when Gerald Levert unexpectedly passed away.

Gordon and Sean Levert continued the group as Levert II and began creating new music with new member Blaq Rose. While working on Dedication, the group took another hit with the sudden death of Sean in 2008.

Gordon said that it has been rough dealing with those devastating blows, but he and Rose are persevering, hoping to keep the legacy alive with fresh, new music.

“It’s still rough just because initially this started with me and Sean committing to get back out there and do this,” Gordon said. “It’s been a challenge even now. But I think with our dedication to put this together and see it all the way through, there’s a spot we can captivate and get back into. I think that’s what Gerald and Sean would want to be a part of, and they are a part of it.”

Rose added, “When Sean passed, it was just like, ‘We definitely have to do it.’ (We had) that determination to go ahead and do it and prove some people wrong because they felt like maybe we should just leave it alone. We were determined when Sean was here, and we’re determined now even more so. It gave me more fuel, like I really want to do it now for him as well.”

They said that they decided to stick with the Levert name because of its legacy and the fans who recognize it as producers of the music they love and remember. Although the album has yet to be officially released (though it has been pre-released), the two say that they have been well-received from those who have heard their music.

“I feel like we’ve bridged the gap of that old school feel by adding a little new school,” Rose said. “We kind of put it together and mixed it. It’s that feel-good music, but it’s still got soul and feeling in it.”

“For people who’ve been there and experienced it, they’ve enjoyed it,” Gordon said. “They say that we haven’t missed a beat. It’s been good feedback.”

Rose added, “And when they hear the CD, they love it.”

For now, Levert II is focusing on sharing its music with the world. But in the future, both Gordon and Rose want to venture out, doing more production and writing for other artists, as they have done in the past. Even with all the tragedies they have faced in recent years, they plan to continue getting their music out and carrying on that Levert legacy.

“This has been like therapy,” Gordon said, “to share with people that sound and music and to have them appreciate it. It’s therapy just being able to get good feedback from fans.

“It feels good to be able to reach people, even those in other countries.”

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