Remember in the ’90s when Boys II Men burst on the scene with “Motown Philly”? In particular, remember that break in the song when they used their voices in perfect harmony to make the beat?
OK, well that sound has been long gone, but one group is trying to resurrect harmony and vocal play, recreating musical instruments with their mouths. Meet Roger and Warren Thomas, Rod Eldridge, Napoleon Cummings, Dwight Stewart, Garfield Buckley and “Hops” Hutton. Together they make Naturally 7.
With the popularity of shows like “Glee” and “The Sing Off” many folks are headed in the same direction.
Hailing from the Bronx in New York, Naturally 7 has gained notoriety in Europe, but are bringing their talent stateside. Their inspirational album, called “VocalPlay,” will be available in the U.S. sometime in 2011.
The Recorder sat down with Roger Thomas, musical director of Naturally 7 to learn more about the group.
Tell me about the name of the group?
Roger Thomas: We started out with just the name 7, simply because there were seven of us. That name was taken, but we wanted to find the right adjective to put in front of 7. The fact that we were doing everything vocally, the word “naturally” came about. Our logo was the natural sign in music so we thought that was a good way to go.
You come from New York, a place that is known for many genres of music, except a cappella. Tell me how Naturally 7 became interested in that sound and making music with your voices?
We grew up in the church that frowned on just musical instruments. We got a taste for a cappella music, harmonizing and creating music without instruments pretty early. Because we’re from the Bronx, we were immersed in the hip-hop sound and seeing people beat-box, which is an a cappella sound. Instead of the “bass” being words, why not be a bass guitar or something like the real instrument? Little by little, we found that each guy had an “instrument.”
You have a lot of musical influences, but who do you like to listen to?
We like to listen to people like Take 6, Bobby McFerrin, Fat Boys, Doug E. Fresh – people who were doing their thing without instruments. Even back in the day, stuff like the Golden Gate Quartet. Today’s stuff, we like Outkast and Alicia Keys.
You all have gained a lot of success in Europe. What’s it like to perform overseas?
I’d like to say that people are the same everywhere you go, but they’re really not. People around the world find us interesting and are fascinated by the versatility of the voice.
Plus English is a second language to many people so the concentration is on the art form and the music because they’re not getting the full understanding of the lyrical content.
What’s your most memorable experience?
We did Quincy Jones’ 75th birthday in Montreaux, Switzerland. We were invited, but we were the only ones on stage that he didn’t know who we were. Everybody else were legends … like Herbie Hancock. We performed “Wall of Sound,” where we do a play off of Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall.” Once we had finished, you could look on Quincy Jones’ face and know that it was a good performance. We got a standing ovation! He walked to the stage and was like “who the heck are you guys?” That was a good day.
Natrually 7 has rubbed elbows with people like Michael Bublé and Ludacris. Who are some other artists you’d like to work with in the future?
Wow! We’re pretty open to working with a lot of people. From a legendary standpoint, we’d love to work with Stevie Wonder or Sting. Someone out right now, Will.I.Am … just a lot of people.
In addition to your unique style, why do you feel Naturally 7 is growing in popularity?
Outside of the a cappella and vocal movement that’s getting stronger, I think the inspirational and spiritual side of our nature is attractive to people. I think people underestimate the power of saying something that needs to be said or doing something uplifting and inspirational. We just like to keep everything positive.
What are your plans for 2011?
Besides taking over the world (laughs) our goal is to make Naturally 7 become a household name. We also want to bring singing groups and harmony back to the forefront.
