B E R N A R D
F O W L E R
SINGER with T H E R O L L I N G S T O N E S
RELEASES NEW SOLO ALBUM
ENTITLED
'I N S I D E O U T'
with SPECIAL GUESTS
“It’s Rolling Stones songs deconstructed,” says Bernard Fowler, explaining the title of his new album Inside Out. “I just took these songs and turned them inside-out.”
Bernard Fowler has another gig too: he’s sung and played percussion with the Rolling Stones, on stage and in the studio, since 1988. At soundcheck somewhere along their 2015 Zip Code tour, he started riffing on a Stones song as dramatically delivered spoken-word — and the band dug it. “Mick said, ‘Bernard, I’ve heard Rolling Stones songs done a lot of ways but never like this,’” Fowler recalls. “I said, ‘Well, you know what? When the tour is over, I’m going to cut it.’ And he said, ‘You should.’ That’s all I had to hear. That was the green light.”
And that’s how it came to be that one of rock and pop’s most sought-after singers doesn’t sing a note on his new record.
Lots of people have celebrated Keith Richards’ iconic riffs, Mick Jagger’s trademark howl-and-strut, and the Rolling Stones’ blazing live show, but there’s never been such a thoughtful, soul-baring and thoroughly original appreciation of the band’s lyrics. In order to do that, Fowler pared away the chord changes and even the melodies and left only the words, then declaimed them like the world’s coolest preacher atop slammin’ grooves powered by a who’s who of crackerjack players. It’s not quite singing, but only a peerless vocalist could pull it off so powerfully, his incantations seething with righteous anger, foreboding and desire.
That strong feeling of back-in-the-day New York is where the autobiography comes in. Growing up in New York City’s predominantly black and Puerto Rican Queens Bridge Projects, Fowler listened to a lot of funk and R&B. Maybe that’s why Inside Out is laced with references to touchstones like James Brown (“Dancing with Mr. D”), War and the Chambers Brothers (“Time Waits for No One”), Curtis Mayfield (“Sister Morphine”) and any number of ‘70s funkateers. And it just so happens that the first record Fowler’s dad ever gave him was 12 x 5 — the second album by up-and-coming British R&B combo the Rolling Stones.
The full-band tracks feature top-shelf players: long-time Stones bassist Darryl Jones, former Miles Davis drummer/producer Vince Wilburn, Jr., guitarist George Evans and pop/R&B session heavyweight Michael Bearden on piano. Drummer Clayton Cameron, renowned as “the Brush Master,” added extra texture. Then Fowler called in guitarist Ray Parker, Jr. “He came over, plugged in and started playing,” says Fowler, “and I was screaming. Everybody was screaming. He was killing it. Killing it.” Listen for Parker’s work on “Time Waits for No One” and “Sister Morphine.”
Inside Out demonstrates what cover versions are supposed to be: reinterpretations that are not only a vehicle for personal expression, but also put the material in a new light. “People hear their favorite songs all the time — but sometimes they don’t really hear them,” Fowler says. “This is a way to hear them all over again and appreciate them in a whole new way.” But the beauty of Inside Out is that it provides an opportunity to appreciate Bernard Fowler in a whole new way too.
— Michael Azerrad
B E R N A R D
F O W L E R
INSIDE OUT
available at amazon.com
For more information about Bernard Fowler visit …
ROLLING STONES SINGER
BERNARD FOWLER
SPECIAL GUEST
on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS
with RAY SHASHO
BBS RADIO
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN
ROLLING STONES ON TOUR 2019
JUL ‘19
03 – FedEx Field Washington, DC
07 – Gillette Stadium Foxboro, MA
14 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
19 – TIAA Bank Field Jacksonville, FL
23 – Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA
27 – NRG Stadium Houston, TX
AUG ‘19
01 – MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
05 – MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
10 – Broncos Stadium at Mile High Denver, CO
14 – CenturyLink Field Seattle, WA
18 – Levi’s® Stadium Santa Clara, CA
22 – The Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA
26 – State Farm Stadium Glendale, AZ
31 – Hard Rock Stadium Miami, FL
Recordings with The Rolling Stones
and their solo projects
and their solo projects
(1985) She's the Boss (Mick Jagger)
(1989) Steel Wheels (Rolling Stones)
(1991) Flashpoint (Rolling Stones)
(1992) Tribute to Charlie Parker with Strings (Charlie Watts)
(1992) Slide on This (Ronnie Wood)
(1992) Main Offender (Keith Richards)
(1993) Warm and Tender (Charlie Watts)
(1993) Slide on Live: Plugged in and Standing (Ronnie Wood)
(1993) Jump Back (Rolling Stones)
(1994) Voodoo Lounge (Rolling Stones)
(1995) Stripped (Rolling Stones)
(1996) Long Ago and Far Away (Charlie Watts)
(1997) Bridges to Babylon (Rolling Stones)
(1998) No Security (Rolling Stones)
(2000) Live and Eclectic (Ronnie Wood)
(2002) Forty Licks (Rolling Stones)
(2004) Live Licks (Rolling Stones)
(2005) A Bigger Bang (Rolling Stones)
(2005) Rarities 1971–2003 (Rolling Stones)
(2008) Shine a Light (Rolling Stones)
(2010) I Feel Like Playing (Ronnie Wood)
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