Описание
Platinum-selling R&B/Pop superstar Frankie J is finding great success with music lovers around the world.
Priceless, Frankie's new album for Columbia Records, is a worthy successor to his earlier works including his 2003 debut, What's a Man To Do?, which featured the smash hit Don't Wanna Try, and last year's RIAA platinum-certified The One, which debuted at ..3 on the Billboard Top 200 and kicked out the hits Obsession (No Es Amor), How to Deal and The One.
A subsequent DualDisc CD/DVD release of Frankie's breakout album The One included Suga Suga, his hit collaboration with rapper Baby Bash, as well as his star-making version of Extreme's More Than Words. Un Nuevo Dia, his latest Spanish language album, came out earlier this year and debuted ..7 on Billboard Latin Top 100.
Priceless was recorded in part in Houston's famed 7303 studios where Frankie J collaborated with a who's-who of hip-hop and urban writer/producers including Mannie Fresh (Juvenile, Big Tymers, Lil Wayne, Teena Marie), red-hot rapper Chamillionaire and his producers Play-N-Skillz ("Ridin'"). Frankie's Priceless magic comes alive on tracks like the album's first single, That Girl, a smashing club track that shows Frankie's range extends beyond crooning hot ballads. That Girl (produced by Mannie Fresh and featuring Chamillionaire) is currently burning up the nation's charts as one of the most added singles on radio across the country. "Everyone knows me as this balladeer guy," Frankie admits, "but now I can dance to my own song. It's an intro to a whole new world for me."
Among Frankie J's other partners on Priceless are Bryan Michael Cox and Adonis Stropshire (Jermaine Dupri, Jagged Edge, Chris Brown); and writer/producer Happy Perez (Priceless, Suga Suga and Obsession) on a pair of Frankie J-penned ballads (Still and Daddy's Little Girl). If He Can't Be -- written by Ryan Tedder (Missy Elliott, Timbaland) and produced by Mike Caran (Trick Daddy) -- even features a sample of Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face." Priceless also finds Frankie teaming up with Bone Thugs & Harmony and Slim from 112.
"I'm the type of guy who likes to collaborate with people in the studio," Frankie J explains. "I love writing. That's my number one thing. I always have to be involved with what the song is about because I'm the one who's going to be singing it. But I'm real open when it comes to ideas. I always like to strive for difference in the direction of my music. Things you don't hear on the radio. It gives the album a unique vibe, it spices everything up. I definitely didn't want to do what everybody else is doing."
For instance, Priceless, the album's title track, is about "a wealthy guy who realizes he's done wrong and tries to win his girl back, knowing he can buy anything he wants except love, and that he's willing to spend whatever it takes, but it's not enough."
Other songs, like the self-penned Still and Daddy's Little Girl, are autobiographical. "The songs touch the subjects of my life," says Frankie. "I always write from my personal experiences, but also what I believe others will respond to. It's like a Hollywood movie, which appeals to a wide audience."
Now residing in the musical hot bed of Houston, Texas, Frankie is enjoying his crossover fame. "I'm just having fun with it, having a great time," he says. "I go to a restaurant or a mall and people just want your autograph or to shake your hand. And that's the best feeling. I can't complain. It's a slow process, but we're getting there."
With Priceless, Frankie J has set out to conquer even more new worlds, both musically and professionally.
