christopher brown

Dream Weaving in Mamaroneck
The Becoming of Chris Brown
By Ian D'Giff
Though Chris Brown lives in an ordinary house, on a nondescript street, in the average American suburbia of Mamaroneck, he's not your ordinary, average guy. Chris Brown is a weaver of dreams.
At age 45, Brown has hand in so many pots, he could easily be mistaken for a circus juggler. He's a husband and father of two elementary school aged boys. He makes his living as a graphic artist. He's made a name for himself as a talented illustrator. He’s earned renown as a gifted sculptor (his study of Mickey Mantle used to be on display at the slugger's Manhattan eatery). And now, after 20 years as singer/songwriter, Chris Brown is finally poised to achieve his dream of a musical career.
Growing up in Pelham Manor, a young Brown learned early on from his father that life is only what you make it, but if you work for it, any dream is attainable. Aside from his successful business career, Brown's father was a published author, a talented illustrator and cartoonist. Like his son who followed in his footsteps, he played guitar and loved early Dylan and Irish music.
"He was kind of split and running in all different directions, but he did everything that he wanted to do," says Brown about his father Richard. "His thing was that the longer you can extend that period of becoming, the better. He used to call it 'the becoming.' It's what keeps life exciting, and art allows for that your whole life, if you let it. You never arrive at the destination. You can constantly build upon what you've learned and improve upon your skills. There's no end to it."
It wasn't until Chris Brown's senior year of high school at Iona Prep in New Rochelle and after 'the Incident,' as he now calls it, that Brown became passionate about music. 'The incident' in question occurred when young Brown's girlfriend of two months made like a cast member of 'Stomp,' and stomped all over his heart by telling him to "buzz off." With his head swimming in adolescent insecurity and heartbroken uncertainty, Brown found solace in the lyrical world of Cat Stevens' "Tea For the Tillerman."
"I heard 'Wild World' and felt that it was written for me," says Brown. "That's when my love affair with music began, when I first needed it and wanted to write and play."
After graduating, Brown began playing the pubs around Iona College, where he was taking classes. As the '70s came to a close, Brown found himself playing Springsteen covers and a few originals with a band called Bookends. By 1981, Brown ditched the band and decided to strike out on his own. He recorded his first album in 1987 with members of Howard Stern's Pig Vomit.
Since then, Brown has furthered his musical reputation by playing popular venues like The Bitter End in Manhattan and opening for acts like Richie Havens and Livingston Taylor. Now, Brown hopes to push the reputation into the public spotlight with his brand new album "Go West" (Red Tail Hawk Records).
"I need a lyric that talks to where I'm at in any given stage in my life. I always did," says Brown about his songwriting. "And, thankfully, it's out there."
"I love the guys who leave the door open for the older songwriters. They're honest to their stage of life - Dylan, Springsteen, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen - they're not acting like they're 25 anymore," Brown says about some of the artists who inspire his latest creation. "They're being honest to who they are and what they’re about—and they are still being critically acclaimed for making relevant music. That leaves me able to see that there's a road for me to pursue."
On "Go West," Brown assumes the role of musical chameleon, though each song would play nicely on any Adult Contemporary radio station. He's a crooning lounge-lizard on "Heart of Love" and shifts into country, ala Johnny Cash on "Hold On." On the title track, Brown spins a Harry Chapin-esque tale, laced with Cat Steven's introspective yearning as Irish overtones resonate.
"The 'Go West' title for the album made sense to me in that there's this frontier always out there, that whole spirit of going west and finding the new horizon. Even after all his time, I feel that I'm at the beginning of something new—and that's a great thing."
"I'm hoping this album takes me to the next step of the journey," Brown continues. "If the journey continues, then I'll know this album was a success."
So while the rest of us trudge through our daily grinds, cursing stop lights and dreaming about what could have been, think about the becoming of Chris Brown - he's busy weaving his dreams into reality.

- The Journal News - Gannett

New Yorker Chris Brown also has one of those voices that takes some time to become familiar
with, but he gets by a bit more on cleverness. His album Go West is by turns smirking and sad, full
of the stuff that makes the coffeehouse singer/songwriter circuit such a delight most of the time.
His voice is low, deep and quirky, and he often sounds like the bastard child of Elvis and Leonard
Cohen, especially on sing/speak numbers like "Dominoes."

Go West is Brown's third effort, after 1987's The Edge of Life and 1991's Surrealin' In the Years,
and that experience in the studio is felt all over this record. Brown, most likely with Calo's able
assistance, plays with dynamics on Go West to decent effect, mixing in accordion, organ and piano
at the perfect times. The album is a fun and sometimes moving listen.

It's Brown's lyrics that really stand out, however. Sly opener "Nice Shoes" counts down a list of
everything the singer's significant other despises about him, but makes sure to point out that she
can't disrespect his shoes. The wry tune ends with the following couplet: "Nice shoes, nice shine, in
lieu of another rhyme, I'm simply going to let the music play as I walk away." Cleverness also
abounds on the rollicking "Every Time We Kiss," which includes the lines "Sometimes all this
spinning has me feeling like an old 45, all pops with a hiss, scratch and skips, stuck on my b-side."
He saves one final zinger for the last verse: "It's survival of the fittest and I feel fit."
Brown strips the sound down for the sad recovery tune "My Better Half," which stands as my
favorite here. That comes directly after another highlight, Brown's straight folk-rock reading of
Tom Waits' lovely "Hold On," sung with all of Waits' passion and none of his roar. And yes, Calo is
all over this album as well, lending his graceful playing and arrangement skill to Brown's well-
crafted songs, but Brown exhibits enough confidence on his own to emerge as the focal point. Go
West is a quick, clever piece of work that grows deeper with subsequent listens.
- a column by Andre Salles

Chris Brown


RASHOD D. OLLISON


THE JOURNAL NEWS



(Original publication: April 18, 2002)


Chris Brown tentatively sips his coffee, his denim-blue eyes wandering

around the room and out the window. The showcase for his new album is a few

days away, but it's clear that it's on his mind.


"We're expecting a few major labels there," Brown says. "You never know.

This could be the push I need to get the music to more people."


The singer-songwriter takes the stage at Turtle Bay Grill & Lounge Wednesday

night to promote his independently released fourth album, "Go West." The

show starts at 7 p.m.


Brown is no stranger to performance. The Mamaroneck man has been doing it

for more than half of his 46 years.


As a student at Iona College, he formed the Bookends Band in '76, performing

at college campuses in the tri-state area. His songwriting blossomed.


"There's a lot of Harry Chapin in my work," he says. "I pay attention to the

lyrics first. That always grabs me. I guess that's because of all the Irish

music I grew up listening to."


He was raised in Pelham, and music and movies fed his imagination and taught

him "many of life's lessons."


In the '80s, he worked local pubs and small New York joints while polishing

his craft. In 1987, he released his first album, "The Edge of Life" and

"Surreelin' in the Years" followed four years later.


The centerpiece of "Go West" is Brown's sea-deep bass tone. The

arrangements - flavored with Latin pop, rootsy country and even a little

drum 'n bass - bolster his half-sung-half-spoken style reminiscent of

Chapin. Other influences abound: Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen and Tom

Waits, whose "Hold On" is the only cover on "Go West."


When he's not on stage with his four-piece band or in the studio, Brown

works as a multi-media artist for Sunburst Technology in Pleasantville. He's

married and a father of two boys, Dylan, 10; and Tim, 7.


Looking at the trees outside the window, he says, "My music tends to be

hopeful about life and love. It's an honest look at the half-filled glass."





- RASHOD D. OLLISON-THE JOURNAL NEWS