Deep Inside the Love Lives of Singer Nicki Richards

*Nicki Richards is a singer/songwriter beyond category. She stands petite yet tall within the top tier of New York City’s all-around music elite. As a creative, she swoops and soars within that rarified air space of people who bask in a multiplicity of musical love lives. This truth adds poignance to the title of her fourth album, Love Life, 8 songs officially released on LP vinyl, CD and for streaming (in stereo and Atmos) this week, July 1st, on her own Hydrus Music company via www.nickirichards.com. So, how many love lives can one person have? For Nicki, that number is nebulous. As one would expect of a woman so alluring, Nicki has experienced her share of private life loves and romances. As a person of deep human compassion who purposefully gives back in her professional and social walks, Nicki has touched the lives of many – one prime example being her annual endeavors with SAY: The Stuttering Academy of The Young Academy. As a tireless creative in general, Nicki nurtures an imagination that conjures a deep space universe of infinite possibilities in the realm of the senses.

As a music educator of private lessons, classroom studies and broad reaching lecture series, she prepares the next generation for excellence coming behind her. And as a musician who sings, composes music, writes lyrics, plays multiple instruments, produces and engineers recording sessions – of her own and for others – she has cultivated a virtual dream come true of “work” that has found her sharing her gifts with the greatest musicians in all genres around the world. You know the adage about “work,” right? If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life – Love or Otherwise. Nicki Richards’ resume is platinum-plated with contributions – from world concert tours and studio sessions to television appearances, vocal arranging and more – for artists that include Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Lenny Kravitz, Frankie Knuckles, George Benson, LL Cool J, Reverend Al Green and Steely Dan (a personal milestone). Among the highpoints of her concert sizzle reel is with Madonna – singing, dancing and leading a stadium audience of 95,000 in the gospel-fueled closing vamp of her showstopper, “Like a Prayer.” It is nothing for one calendar week in her life to include accompanying an artist on “Saturday Night Live,” teaching classes at NYU or The New School, writing a new song, and performing in an all-star, one-night benefit extravaganza such as her annual contribution to “Love Rocks NYC.” Recent gigs range from singing with classical music artist Lisa Reagan (including a harp, which thrilled her to no end) to singing several songs (including The O’Jays’ “For The Love of Money”) in salute to one of her personal electric bass heroes, Anthony Jackson. So, for admirers of Nicki’s music, it takes her more than a minute to prepare new albums. However, this week marks the official release of Love Life, part 1 of a double album’s worth of amazing new songs. Nicki debuted them in an all-star concert – Wednesday, July 2 – at City Winery in New York. Musicians included drummers Lenny White and Steve Jordan, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Christian McBride, percussionist Everett Bradley, and Musical Director Ray Chew.

Stealing a little time to discuss her new songs, Nicki begins, “I make music every day just about. So, I’m backlogged! Many start out as dreams that wake me up in the middle of the night. I jot them down as ideas then pieces of songs. Over a period-of-time, I pull them together. She adds: “Doing this independent and post-pandemic, I first finished all the tunes playing and singing everything myself with synths and drum samples, then replaced what I had done with my incredible friends.” The man who has always been there for Nicki as a collaborator and sounding board is the chameleonic Lenny White, best known as a Jazz drummer and member of supergroup Return to Forever, but a master of all music – from composing his own opera to scoring a Funk classic with “Peanut Butter” via his band, Twennynine. “Lenny is what I call a contrarian,” Nicki explains. “If I get too comfortable with something, he says, “Oh, no, you’ve got to try something else.” Sometimes I’m successful with that and other times I’m not. I like hearing things the way I hear them. He comes from the powerful tradition of Jazz where you don’t play anything the same way twice! I’m just trying to get my one idea crystalized enough for someone else to hear it with me.”

White says of Nicki, “She’s always been a talented singer. But she’s not just a singer. She plays many instruments. As a producer, what I have to do is get the artist to have the best translation they can have. I met her through her manager. We’ve been working together for years. I come from Jamaica, Queens, and all of us are music translators – people like Donald Blackman, Bernard Wright, Marcus Miller and Omar Hakim. We had opportunities to play all kinds of music. Nicki came from that cloth of being able to represent whatever music she was asked. Plus, she was badass. She could hang with all the guys, So there was a credibility quotient. She wasn’t just a singer. She could translate – a consummate musician.” Nicki’s Love Life album opens with “Heartstrings,” a brilliant meditation on which Nicki uses the musical metaphor of emphasizing stringed instruments, including two guitars (inspired by her late friend, Hiram Bullock), violin/viola and two bass parts. Sounds like a good time, right? But is it love? “I was exploring the messy side of relationships,” Nicki shares, “always trying to work stuff out. I was having some feelings – drawn from various relationships – real and fantasy. In this one, the relationship is messy and that’s what I wanted the groove like. I wanted the guitar to sound like somebody’s uncle on the front porch – and it wasn’t pretty! It was a lament.” The next song, “New Orleans,” has an Alternative/Blues-Rock feel wedded to an introspective piece about the mythical city that is home/not home for Nicki. She played the original bass part, then had the great Will Lee overdub the final. Nicki sings it as duet with her brother, Philip Richards.

“I’ve always felt New Orleans,” she says. “Philip and I spent summers there as kids with our grandparents who are from there as is our father. I never lived there yet I feel I belong to it and it belongs to me – a birthright. There are ways I feel connected and not connected – something I’m always working through. So, I have lots of mixed feelings. There is joy and pain connected to there. Hard to reconcile.”

Nicki chose “New Orleans” – in single form – to be released exclusively through Fuwimu (Fund with Music) – a new platform for independent songwriters that allows them to connect their songs to charitable organizations. “New Orleans” (fuwimu.com/cda9f232) will support The Recording Academy’s “MusiCares” program which assists musicians in financial need as well as music education. The positively affirming “Anything” was the first single released from Love Life – back when optimism ran high that Kamala Harris would be elected the first female president – and Black at that. Nicki shot a music video doing all sorts of things – from b-ball hooping and riding a motorcycle to playing bass behind a podium wearing pearls.

“The words for ‘Anything’ are things I tell myself,” Nicki states. “When I started it, I heard Marcus (Miller) on bass in my ear – a call and response vibe. I like the idea that it’s inspired by the kinds of beats you hear in New Orleans, but there’s a touch of Rock in there, too. Lenny made the call to get Wallace Roney III to put him on the record playing trumpet. I knew his father (the late Jazz trumpeter, Wallace Roney) and mother (the late Jazz pianist, Geri Allen). It’s wonderful to see him doing his thing and being fabulous now.” Side 1 of Love Life closes with “It’s Your Thang” – NOT an Isley Brothers cover (she did that on her debut album, Naked (To The World), with “Voyage to Atlantis” and “Summer Breeze”). Nicki’s “It’s You Thang” is, perhaps, the most forthrightly sexy song of her recorded canon. This writer encourages readers to check out the lyrical content for this scorcher. Nicki breaks down the groove palate as crosses between The Isley Brothers’ “Coolin’ Me Out,” Tommy Roe’s bubblegum smash “Dizzy” (original drums by the legendary Hal Blaine), as well as a couple more by Toto and Big Daddy Kane (for the swagger). This writer is loving her instrumental uses of flute and glockenspiel here, making for Big Fun in your cranial!

The hand-picked electric bass playing of Nicki’s longtime friend Marcus Miller on “Heartstrings,’ “Anything,” “It’s Your Thang” and one more on Love Life (plus Will Lee and Christian McBride elsewhere) reflects her deep love for the instrument and low-end frequencies. Though she plays many instruments, the bass rests close to her heart. “I’ve always loved bass,” she says. “It’s the root of all things. Bass is just beautiful and sexy. Records in my early life were so bass heavy – every nuance. So many bass heroes. Marcus and I have the Jackson 5ive albums in common. I have a lot of fun with bass…but I’m always too busy to practice how I should.” On the flipside, Side 2 of the Love Life LP opens with among the most gorgeous ever of Nicki’s recordings. This one, evocatively titled “Tether Me,” is a duet with Mark Kibble from the vocal group, Take 6. It’s a transportive aural experience showcasing Nicki as a “soundscape-stress.” The song came to her in a dream fully-formed, after which she bolted into her home studio and “blurted the whole thing out in 15 minutes.” For this standout selection, we will cover several aspects. Concerning the inspiration for the song, Nicki reflects, “At the time that I wrote it, I was touring a lot, When I come off tour – after all that excitement and stimulation – I get home and I crash. It takes me a minute to get used to finding my footing again… feeling grounded. I’m a military kid, so feeling grounded and connected is always a challenge. I always feel like I’m fluttering in space or the ocean. I dream about that someone that can keep me grounded and keep me in mind. The phrase ‘tether me’… in my mind, the image is a kite, a balloon or a zeppelin that is tied to the ground. Specifically, the line in the song is, ‘Tie me to the moor-like a boat.’ If you don’t tether it, it will just be gone to the sea.” Two men were crucial to aurally creating the feeling of weightlessness within the music of “Tether Me.” First was master percussionist Bashiri Johnson (Miles Davis, Luther Vandross) who Nicki personally visited in his home studio to record his mysti-magic. “I told him I wanted to hear the boats bumping in the marina,” Nicki shares. “I wanted to hear wanton abandon.”

To realize her vision, the master dug deep into his treasure chest of percussion. Bashiri shares, “Nicki came up to my house in Rock Hill, New York. I had a temp transition studio set up while my bona fide recording studio in the basement was under construction. We had a great time. Nicki brought her portable rig that we recorded into. My engineer was Kaya Bailey, but Nicki handled the helm. She’s quite the tech-head. Her track, ‘Tether Me,’ was quite open and ethereal. So, I opted to lay a bed of atmosphere first. Then some low-end grounding. Then some motion and groove in the mid-range and top end. The instruments, as I recall, are Ocean Drum, Pea Pods Chimes, Rain Stick, Wind Chimes, Udu, Shaker, Frame Drum, and Dun Dun.” The second man to contribute mightily to Nicki’s “Tether Me” was Mark Kibble. Of her longtime connection to him, Nicki recalls, “When we created a friendship, I had a beautiful career as a background vocalist touring the world with all kinds of artists. There was a huge event at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Quincy Jones called it, ‘We Are The Future’ – a huge televised event to raise money for people to get clean water – so intense. The lineup was Herbie Hancock, Andrea Bocelli, Take 6, Josh Groban and Carlos Santana. I sang with everyone! We spent a lot of time rehearsing and traveling. I remember listening to Take 6 in rehearsals. I mean, how could you not love each-and-every-one of these incredibly talented gentlemen? Both Mark and Claude (V. McKnight) got to laughing and talking with me. We became fast friends. Mark later did an arrangement for me on “Surely’ (from her second album, Nicki). Take 6 keeps threatening to perform it (themselves). I say, ‘Please do!!’ Mark’s brain is just a wonder…an incredible talent with such sensitivity.”

Mark Kibble is equally glowing in his reflections on Nicki and working closely with her on his vocal arrangement for “Tether Me.” Kibble elucidates, “I believe my first memory of Nicki was at some awards show like the NAACP. I really admired her performance and her voice. When we met, we hit it off right away. ‘If we ever get a chance to work together…’ And it happened! Beyond her silky, smooth voice, she’s a really good friend. Musically we really connected. We share ‘road life.’ We know what it’s like to be onstage and the hard ends of that – so much we can relate to. We love talking about how we grew up. It all came out in the music. When we first started working together, I loved what she was bringing to the table. And, lucky for me, she loved what I was bringing to the table.” Specific to “Tether Me,” Kibble continues, “With my brother Joey (Kibble), we built a studio in one of the lower rooms of his house. I used to work over there a lot. But now, he works at the same time I do. So, I have a quiet room in my own house with my own setup. My room has windows and I live on 5 acres in Nashville with a lot of wood around me – my own little forest. I use Logic as does Nicki, by the way. So, once again, we are of one accord. I’m an old man now – just passed the 60 borderline. So, my rest is critical. I don’t work late at night like I used to. My best time to work is afternoon to evening. So, I probably did this vocal in one straight shot. Sometimes I go to until 1 or 2 in the morning. The bottom line, though, is it really doesn’t matter. Once I’m in it, I’m in it!” “I do lots of projects where I sing layered backgrounds,” Kibble admits, “but this one was really special. Sometimes someone will give me a song and it’s easy to tell what I’m supposed to do. But this piece Nicki brought was like magic… It passionately took me away just to listen to it before I did anything on it. I gave her one pass of what I was going to do but she made me dig deeper. I thought, ‘With much pleasure, I’m going to give you exactly what you have in mind.’ Everything needed to flow like water. There are lines about floating in the breeze…being a kite at night. So, you need to feel that breeze. I felt everything she’s talking about in the song. And I love that she made me dig.” Kibble concludes, “I definitely got emotional because of what she’s talking about in those lyrics. I would listen back and well-up (with ‘facial leaks’)! When the song was done, it was at a pivotal point in my life. It really hit home. ‘Tether Me’ is really close to my heart…as is Nicki.” The FindYourSounds web site hailed Nicki’s song “Tether Me” as, “…an ethereal, immersive masterpiece that takes listeners on a sonic journey through the turbulent yet beautiful waters of the human experience.” That song makes the perfect lead-in to a pair of acoustic jazz selections on Side 2 of Love Life. The first is a new work collaboration Nicki was inspired to write based on a classic instrumental first composed and recorded by the late Joe Sample of Gulf Coast Jazz quartet, The Crusaders. Nicki has done this at least once before with “Tell Me…,” the title track of her previous album which was a new work collaboration based on Herbie Hancock’s timeless “Tell Me a Bedtime Story.” For Love Life, Nicki presents “You Become More Beautiful,” her new work collaboration based on Joe Sample’s instrumental, “More Beautiful Each Day” (the finale of the jazz keyboard legend’s classic album, Carmel). Nicki’s version features pianist Cyrus Chestnut at the ivories. “It’s such a stunning, perfect piece of music,” Nicki says of Sample’s original 1979 recording. “I was driving around with Mom – sporting her shades – in Pensacola, FL. I was a passenger for a change. It was a beautiful day of palm trees and sunshine as I wrote that lyric in the passenger seat of Mom’s Mercedes. I wanted a beautiful, heartfelt, sexy love song for the album. I reached out to Nick Sample (Joe’s son) and Pat Rains who was managing the Joe Sample estate. I have their full support and am so excited.” Nicki was blessed to have Joe Sample play piano on her Quiet Storm classic, “Parallel Universe,” a contribution she forever cherishes in her canon. That makes this song extra precious for her. “Keeping Joe’s music alive and flourishing…” she sighs. “If he were alive, he would have been on it. But Cyrus hooked it up!”

The second acoustic Jazz number is titled “Here is My Heart.” This one is a new work collaboration as well, this time based on the instrumental, “Dedication,” composed by her longtime partner in crime, Lenny White. It’s been recorded instrumentally twice before: Lenny recorded it in a trio with the late guitarist Larry Coryell and the late bassist Victor Bailey on a shared leadership 2006 CD, titled Traffic. A decade later in 2016, Cyrus Chestnut recorded it on his CD, Natural Essence, with Lenny on drums and the great Buster Williams on bass. Nicki’s lyricized version of “Dedication,” new title “Here is My Heart,” was the most divine of commissions. “I already knew the song from when Lenny did it. Later, he was having a run at the (jazz club) Iridium. He said, ‘Hey Nick, listen to this and see if you can write a lyric. I want to surprise my wife as an anniversary gift.’ I was like, ‘Bet!’ I put lyrics to it. When she came to the show, I jumped on stage, strolled up to the mic and said, ‘Jill, this is what Lenny has to say to you.’ It was beautiful… We performed it for two shows a night for over a week.” Nicki’s “Here is My Heart” features a second contribution by Chestnut on piano plus tenor saxophonist Emilio Modesto who was suggested by Lenny. “I loved the idea that I could have a little bit of what I like to listen to (the John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman LP from 1963 on Impulse! Records), imagining that I could have that kind of a sound, too.” Closing Nicki’s Love Life gemstone is her version of the peerless Joni Mitchell’s “Sweet Bird.” Joni has been a North Star for Nicki all her adult life. She has been studying and performing the Canadian singer/songwriter’s work for years, including the rare 2017 CD, The Songs of Joni Mitchell; A Soulful Tribute, on which Nicki sang seven numbers with other contributors such as Vivian Sessoms. Joni’s influence on Nicki is revealed in many of her past works, including “I Have Loved You Always” (from Nicki). Now, she steps to the ‘Lady of the Canyon’s healing “Sweet Bird,” with lovely accordion by Rachelle Garniez and Emilio Modeste shifting to soprano sax. “This song came to me in 2020,” she shares. “I kept hearing this Joni tune…but it was cacophonous and in ¾! It has to do with self-love and acceptance. I imagine when Joni was writing it, she was tanning and trying to grapple with beauty ideals. That stuff isn’t real – a joke to be laughed at. It’s timely for me right now…that things are so different for me in my life and how I’m viewing it all. 2020 turned my entire life upside down – COVID, Black Lives Matter. It changed every relationship that I have. Things that used to matter… I had a rude awakening. ‘Sweet Bird’ is such a subtle tune…a deep cut.” As if all this richly inspired music isn’t enough, Nicki also commissioned an audiophile Atmos Mix of the album helmed by Yaron Fuchs – an option for fans with Apple AirPods or cars equipped with immersive audio. “This is a first for my music,” Nicki says beaming. “Atmos really spreads the sound out. I truly enjoyed the day we mixed ‘Tether Me’ – to hear those voices all around and through was such a beautiful experience. I took a video just so I could remember what I was feeling in that moment. Yaron forces me to sit in the sweet spot. And, of course, I have a million opinions. We shared a wonderful, healthy back and forth. He’s a master at what he does. And he respects my musicality and ear.” Also, with the absence of straight-up dance songs to appease her legion of global club music fans, Nicki instead has dance remixes of songs by the likes of Tony Moran (“It’s Your Thang”) and Dave Morales. The best news of all is that there are at least 7 more songs already done that will be coming, later, under a second companion album title, It’s Complicated. And, knowing Nicki, a couple more may be added…because she is always writing new ones. “This was always intended to be a double album project,” she insists. “The dream is for the original 15 to come out in the original album sequence.” “The great joy about making music for me right now is that I’m not listening to any of the voices that say, ‘Do one thing,’” Nicki shares in summary. “I’m going trans-genre. I work in every genre. So, why can’t I make music in every genre? I’m accomplished in all of them. So, there are no limits! I’m hoping that people can hear all the things. I grew up all over the world, all over the country. All those things are in there.”

“All I’m doing is making art. I don’t have any lofty dreams of selling a million records. I just want to express some feelings and show what I can do musically, which not a lot of folks like me are doing. I came up at a time when there weren’t a lot of female producers. It’s better now…but still only 1% women. I love that I’ve been doing this a long time and that it’s unique.” All around music genius Marcus Miller calculatedly surmises that with the release of Love Life, Nicki Richards is deservedly on the brink of the recognition she is long overdue for as an artist. “When she started making her own music, Nicki met some resistance because all the average record company executive wanted to know was what bin to put her in to make their job easier. It was probably very frustrating. It’s the total opposite when she collaborates with other people. She works with everybody – no matter what style. When Nicki developed her musical personality, she was in New York. So, her sound is very eclectic. That was her path of least resistance.” “But things are different now…,” Miller insists. “I think this is the perfect time for Nicki to put her music out and show the totality of who she is.” – A. Scott Galloway

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