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Monday, December 5, 2005
12/5: Track by track - Bo’s album
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s another press release breaking down Bo’s album song by song:
(Los Angeles, CA – Monday December 5, 2005) Bo Bice, “American Idol� fourth season finalist, will release his much-anticipated debut album, “The Real Thing,� on 19 Recordings/RCA Records on Dec. 13. Produced by Clive Davis, the album teams Bice with Chad Kroeger, Richie Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi, Ben Moody , John Shanks, and Swedish producer Max Martin. “It’s so cool to be surrounded by people like that,� says the singer from Birmingham, Alabama. “You just feel grateful every day.�
There will be two editions of “The Real Thing.� In addition to a regular CD, there will be a DualDisc version with bonus material, including three extra songs written by Bice. The DualDisc version will include the full album in enhanced stereo; a 22-minute video of “A Day in the Life� of Bo; an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Bo in the studio, at promo appearances, photo shoots and meeting his fans; the three bonus audio tracks “Cinnamon & Novocaine,� “Sinner in a Sin� and “Whiskey, Women and Time�; and acoustic performances of “Changing for the Better,� “Whisky, Women and Time,� “Sinner in a Sin� and “Papillon.�
Bo will support the release of “The Real Thing� with multiple television appearances, including “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno� (Dec. 5), “The Billboard Music Awards� (Dec. 6), “The Today Show� and “Live With Regis and Kelly� (both Dec. 9), Ellen (Dec. 13), “The Tony Danza Show� (Dec. 15), “The Early Show� (Dec. 16), “The Radio Music Awards (Dec. 19) and “Jimmy Kimmel Live� (Dec. 20).
On Dec. 11, the Oxygen Network will air “A Holiday Custom Concert Special – Featuring Bo Bice and Special Guests.� He’ll wrap up the year with a one-hour special, “In the Moment With Bo Bice,� airing Jan. 13, 2006 on CMT.
There will be three opportunities for Bo’s fans to watch him perform live. The fans are invited to watch Bo give an outdoor performance at Rockefeller Center for the Dec. 9 appearance on “The Today Show.� They can also attend the taping of the Oxygen Network special in New York on Dec. 7. and on Dec. 20, fans can watch Bo perform live on the outdoor set of Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
“Bo Bice is indeed ‘the real thing’,” says Clive Davis, Chairman CEO BMG U.S. “The album’s title is so very accurate in not only reflecting its first single but also the extent of who and what Bo and his talent represent.”
The tracks on Bo’s debut album include:
“The Real Thing� (written by Kara DioGuardi and Marti Frederiksen; produced by Marti Frederiksen). “That’s an incredible tune,� says Bo. “I had a great time recording it with Marti. He’s just like me, a laid-back cat, pretty mellow. We started working between 10am and lunch and would go for 12 hours and just had fun.� Dioguardi adds, “It’s about a man saying to a woman, ‘I know you have these feelings and I know you’re not saying them and it looks like you want to say them.’�
“You’re Everything� (written by Chad Kroeger; produced by Chad Kroeger and Joey Moi). “Chad and Joey are great guys,� says Bo. “Chad brought an incredible song to the table. I love the tune. I met the guys in New York, hung out for a minute, and we started recording.�
“U Make Me Better� (written by Martin Sandberg and Lukasz Gottwald; produced by Max Martin). “Max and Dr. Luke were a lot of fun to work with. Max has some major league hits and he’s real genuine and humble. Max and I are kindred spirits; we got each other right away,� says Bo.
“Nothing Without You� (written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and John Shanks; produced by John Shanks). “John and I are both guitar freaks,� says Bo. “I met Richie Sambora when we did ‘The Tonight Show’ together last June. He pitched a song to Clive.� John Shanks adds, “Bo steps up to the mic and gives you a great performance from the get-go.� Shanks had been working with Jon and Richie on Bon Jovi’s “Have a Nice Day� album. “We had been saving this song and I told Jon and Richie we should see if Bo liked it,� Shanks explains. “It’s a modern pop-rock song. The hook says that all of this means nothing without you. I can go through life but without sharing it with someone you love, it’s meaningless.�
“My World� (written by Mitch Allan and John Allen; produced by Ben Moody). “That song is on the poppier end of the spectrum,� says Bo. Moody calls Bo, “the real deal,� adding, “He can stand there with an acoustic guitar and play classic rock tunes for an hour and you’ll never lose interest…the guy is just a star!�
“Remember Me� (written by Kara DioGuardi and Marti Frederiksen; produced by Marti Frederiksen). “That’s one of my favorites,� Bo enthuses. “Marti and Kara wrote it for me. I’ve played it live several times because it’s such a cool song.� DioGuardi elaborates, “It’s about a love that’s gone bad. It says now that we’re done and I’m crushed, don’t ever forget me. It’s a plea to be remembered even though things have gone bad.�
“Hold On to Me� (written by Jess Cates, Dennis Matkosky and Lindy Robbins; produced by John Shanks). “That’s another song from the poppier side,� says Bo. Shanks adds, “I kept it in the same vibe as ‘Nothing Without You’ so there would be a sonic consistency on the album. I’m the kind of producer who listens to the demo and honors it by taking the best elements and being respectful to the writeras who worked so hard on the song, and try to make it into a hit record.�
“Lie…It’s All Right� (written by Martin Sandberg and Lukasz Gottwald; produced by Max Martin and Lukasz “Dr. Luke� Gottwald). “It’s a real heavy pop tune,� says Bo.
“It’s My Life� (written by Cliff Magness, Kara DioGuardi and Bo Bice; produced by Cliff Magness). “Cliff and I wrote some of it and then we brought in Kara to help us round off some corners,� Bo recalls. “Cliff and I had been talking about how weird and crazy life was and that we just move along and try to enjoy every moment of it.� DioGuardi adds, “When we were writing for Bo we concentrated on chanelling his emotions – the strain, the angst, the release. All the things he did on ‘American Idol’ that made him so great.�
“Willing to Try� (written by John Shanks and Richie Sambora; produced by John Shanks). “It’s so cool to have someone like Richie that I’ve admired my entire life write a song because they saw you and were inspired by you,� says Bo. Shanks confirms, “We wrote that especially for Bo. It has elements of Otis Redding, giving Bo a chance to stretch out in a more soulful way. The lyrics are about the obstacles of relationships and that through adversity, you’re willing to try even though it’s easy to give up.�
“Valley of Angels� (written by Bo Bice and Cliff Magness; produced by Cliff Magness). “It’s a very introspective tune I wrote several years ago,� Bo explains. “It’s about finding inner peace. I had one of my old guitars in the studio and was warming up with this song when Cliff asked me what the song was. It was incomplete, so Cliff wrote an instrumental bridge and I put some lyrics over his bridge.�
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12/5: Bo Bice on his new album
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s the press release from RCA about his new record. I can’t believe he actually worked with Max Martin, known for schlocky hits by the likes of Ace of Base, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.
Bo Bice has music in his blood. Born Harold Bice in Huntsville, Alabama on Nov. 1, 1975, Bo was raised in the south by his song-singing, instrument-playing, music-worshiping parents. “My father played guitar, banjo and mandolin. My mother and her three cousins were in a group called the Singing Jays, and my mom sang at the Grand Ole Opry. I guess that’s why I always took music for granted. I remember how weird it was the first time I realized not everybody could sing� Bo laughs.
Bo’s parents had extensive record collections, inspiring Bo to buy his first album, by Steve Miller, at the age of five. Soon, Bo was adding Boston, the Rolling Stones, and the James Gang to his growing pile. On Bo’s his ninth birthday, he received his first real guitar - an electric Squire Telecaster - as a birthday present. “That’s not a little thing for a nine-year-old� Bo laughs. “It cost $500 and that was a lot of money for my parents. I had that guitar around my neck all the time.� That same year, Bo performed in public for the first time, singing “God Bless the U.S.A.� in a talent contest at the Atlanta Civic Center.
Bo’s musically rich childhood prepared him well for his future. Bo has been on the music scene, writing songs, recording, producing and playing in bands since he was in high school. In the last year, every personal and professional dream he kept alive throughout the years has come true. He’s gone from guitar-store manager to American Idol, and he’s recently completed work on his first solo album.
The record, titled The Real Thing, will be released on December 13th. It includes several original songs on which Bo shares writing credit such as “It’s My Life�, which Bo wrote with Clif Magness (Avril Lavigne) and Kara DioGuardi (Ashlee Simpson). The record, which is produced by Clive Davis, also features collaborations between Bo and eight different producers and songwriters including Chad Kroeger (of Nickelback), Max Martin (Britney Spears), John Shanks (Kelly Clarkson), and Marty Frederickson (Aerosmith).
Bo has a lot to say about the songs on his new record. “The Real Thing�, a classic epic pop track written by DioGuardi and Frederickson, is “about a man saying to a woman, ‘I know you have these feelings and you’re not saying them and it looks like you want to say them’� says Bo. “Nothing Without You�, which Jon Bon Joni, Richie Sambora, and John Shanks� wrote together, comes complete with soaring hooks and powerful vocals that reflect the arena-rocking backgrounds of its creators. “The hook says that all of this means nothing without you. If you go through life without sharing it with someone you love, it’s meaningless� says Shanks, who also produced the song. Moody pop ballad “Remember Me�, written by DioGuardi and Fredericksen, is one of Bo’s favorites. “Marti and Kara wrote it for me. I’ve played it live several times, it’s such a cool song�. DioGuardi elaborates, “it’s about a love gone bad. It says now that we’re done and I’m crushed, don’t ever forget about me.�
After years of fantasizing about success in the music industry, finally achieving it is incredibly gratifying and humbling, says Bice. “All these elements have brought me to this point. To have been working in music for so long, and dreaming about doing what I’m doing now. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to not only to be able to do what I do, but to do it with the caliber of people that are making this happen. It’s like having your Fantasy Football team. With everything behind this album, if it doesn’t do well, it’s obviously because I suck, because everybody else around me is incredible!� After a bumpy summer that included hostpitalization and emergency surgery to treat an intestinal blockage, Bo has finally found his stride in the studio and is feeling both confident about the record he’s about to release, and reflective on how he got here.
“I’ve produced a couple of Christian-rock bands, back in Birmingham. I did the Nashville thing earlier and I did the songwriting thing as a career. So all that stuff is really the backbone to being able to walk in the studio and do a song that I’ve never even heard before. It’s a language. It’s like I couldn’t walk out to a damn construction site and have some guy go, ‘Hey man gimme that double-wedged hammer slide!’ I’d be like, ‘what the hell?!’�
So what does the future hold for Bo Bice? Two years ago he was looking forward with determination to a life filled with music, on a smaller scale. Now, he’s thinking about promoting his new record, and exploring the multitude of options his fame has created. Don’t be surprised if you see Bo guest starring on a TV show, every once in a while, if he can pry himself away from music for long enough.
“I never set out to be somebody on TV but I hope that I’m able to continue to do things on TV, you know, without becoming an actor. I want to do little silly things. Something that’s relevant, something that I can enjoy,�
