After My Time

Performer: Noel Gourdin
Engineer: Dave Hyman; Charles Brungardt; Eddie Timmons; Franklin Emmanuel Socorro; Adam Miele; Karl Heilbron
Producer: Balewa Muhammad; Andre Harris; Raphael Saadiq; Vidal Davis
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Raphael Saadiq (guitar); Salaam Remi (Fender Rhodes piano, drums); Charles Jones (keyboards); Robert Ozuna (drums, percussion). Audio Mixers: Vincent Dilorenzo; Manny Marroquin; "You Can Ask" Giz; Rich Keller; Sheldon Goode. Recording information: Blakeslee Recording co., North Hollywood, CA; EFP Studio, Elmont, NY; Instrument Zoo, Miami, FL; Metropolis Studios, Poconos, PA; Playground Minimansion Studio, NJ; Pulse Music NY; Soamazin Studios, Clifton, NJ; Studio 23, Newport, RI; Tree Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA. With his 2008 debut, AFTER MY TIME, R&B singer Noel Gourdin presents an assured set of songs rooted in vintage soul. Highlights of the album include the passionate lead single, "The River," and the regret-filled "Led You On," tracks that showcase the Boston-based performer's laid-back, introspective persona and considerable vocal talent. Noel Gourdin's debut album has been several years in the making, at least if you track back to the Kay Gee-produced "Family Reunion," a song featured in the 2004 movie The Cookout. "The River," a gorgeous and spiritual '60s throwback, became his first official single in 2007 and found early support from Steve Harvey, who spun it on his Morning Show. Once After My Time was released in July of the following year, the song had been on the R&B/hip-hop chart for several months, never threatening to reach the top but holding steady for an apparent eternity, much like a couple Anthony Hamilton singles. That is likely a good indication of Gourdin's future status -- not superstar-level, yet not without a set of enduring (if not blockbuster) hits and a very devoted fan base. While Gourdin's not quite as classicist as Hamilton -- his voice is flexible enough to allow the possibility of making albums that fill any number of R&B pigeonholes -- he can be roughly slotted into the John Legend/Chrisette Michele/Raheem DeVaughn camp, where modern sounds mix it up with classic inspirations. He's definitely tapping more directly into the 30-and-over crowd with "The River" and sincerely humbled ballads like "Sorry" (which slows and softens Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew," aka the backbone of A Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation") and "Make the Most" (which owes most of its production to Michael Henderson and Jean Carn's "Valentine Love"). Even the productions that are synth-spiked or more hip-hop-oriented -- "Open," "Better Man" -- don't register as flagrant attempts to top the pop chart; yet, at the same time, they add a necessary dimension and another level of appeal to Gourdin's debut. ~ Andy Kellman

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