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BROADWAY'S BEST KEPT SECRET: Chester Gregory ... modern day soul man with a classic R&B heart.
Debut Release IN SEARCH OF HIGH LOVE - In Stores - February 24, 2009
*Chester Gregory is currently acclaimed as one of the most dynamic musical theatre presences in the entertainment business - a young black man in possession of a powerful five octave voice that has elicited high praise from the late Isaac Hayes, a standing ovation from Michael Jackson and inspired Phil Collins to compose a Broadway song custom made for what his God-given instrument can do.
Now - after several years of blowing audiences away playing the lead in the biographical musical The Jackie Wilson Story, key roles in Hairspray, Tarzan and Cry Baby, and he originated the "Donkey" role for Dreamworks' Shrek on Broadway - Chester Gregory reveals to the R&B/Soul world the regular guy behind all of those dazzling characters...the man in the mirror he faces everyday.
With his sincerely soulful and introspective debut CD In Search of High Love, Chester Gregory introduces himself as a thoughtful and sensitive songwriter blessed with a voice that captivates and demands attention. Each song is either a true to life tale spun from a life spent in heavy pursuit of love (and the lessons that brings) or an old school soul classic that will warm hearts within a whole new generation.
"The best way to describe my album In Search of High Love is a soulful journey of self-discovery through the ups and downs of love, ultimately resulting in self realization" Chester shares. "The path of learning to love yourself and love God before you can love someone else. While I've thoroughly enjoyed performing on Broadway - eight shows a week of telling other people's amazing stories - I have a personal one I'd like to express. I hope people enjoy this music and can get into the overall message I'm trying to share."
From the sunny, feel-good soul of "On and On" to the quiet fire of the power piano ballad "Questions" (with hooks that the man telegraphs straight to your heart with spine-tingling passion), Chester Gregory steps up as a man unafraid to lay his emotions on the line. As prepared by producers Grammy-winner Dave Tozer (John Legend), PJ Morton (India.Arie) and David Liang (Carl Thomas), as well as peers Afta-1, Nevi-Nev and J. Most, Chester's roof raising stage voice is massaged into musical settings that will melt R&B lovers' hearts.
Highlights of Chester's CD include the poetically perplexing "Clouds to the Ground" (an interlude that likens the sensual attraction of a mysterious woman to the gravitational pull of the earth's atmosphere), a digital lounge take on the doo wop gem "I Only Have Eyes For You" (graced with the mesmerizing harmonized layering of Chester's elastic voice) and the crossover-bound "Say it's Over" (featuring sexy guest rapper Farrah Burns and a sample from Kenny Loggins' "This is It" that was also recently used by Kirk Franklin - proving creative minds think alike). There's also the spacey, four-on-the-floor club pump of Jackie Wilson's soaring 1967 chart-topper "Higher and Higher," balanced nicely by the completely contemporary "High Love" - a heavy backbeat ballad laced with bluesy guitar changes and Chester's smoothed out voice delivering some seriously mackalicious likes. "I don't wanna roll trees / The only thing I wanna smoke is you / It sounds insane / You're pumpin' through my veins / And I love this feeling / I get weak / You knock me off my feet / You make me feel so...oooohhhhh" (the last line punctuated with a euphoric falsetto flight that does the master Lenny Williams proud). "Most of my songs come out of me 'having a moment" Chester says elusively.
Gary, Indiana-native Chester Gregory grew up admiring all around entertainers ranging from King of Pop Michael Jackson to triple threat icons Sammy Davis, Jr. and Gregory Hines. Years of dedicated vocal training (surprisingly not in the church) led to a bachelors Degree in Musical Theatre at Columbia College in Chicago.
Now, alongside the successful cast of characters he continues to inhabit in the footlights, Chester Gregory (a.k.a. Chess Gregory) peels back another layer to show the world what he is truly made of with his accomplished and inspired debut CD In Search of High Love. Chester concludes. "My album is a musical expression of healing thru the discovery of love…"
In Search of High Love in stores February 24, 2009 on CD.
source
J'ai St. Laurent-Smyth
Inque Public Relations
inquepr@comcast.net
inquepr@gmail.com
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