|  Carl
Henry puts the riddim in rhythm and blues. Born in Jamaica and raised
in Montreal, the island crooner blends the rumble of dancehall reggae
with the smooth stylings of R&B and soul. He grew up singing
in a church choir; years of vocal training have shaped a voice that
slinks, shudders and soars.
Henry, has toured all
over North America and Europe, supporting U.S. stars like Mary J.
Blige, De La Soul and Ashanti. Home in Canada, he has earned Juno
Award nominations in each of the last four years. RNB, his full-length
debut, was recognized for Best R&B/Soul Recording in 2003; singles
Homie’s Girl,Bare As She Dare (featuring Ce’Cile) and
Hot Gal (featuring Rally Bop) were nominated for Best Reggae Recording
in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively.
RNB delivered passionate,
late-night murmurs with songs like One Night Stand, Sex U and Did
U Really. The album’s title was literal: RNB is straight-up
R&B from beginning to finish. (Same goes for Solution RNB, its
French-language version.) Henry is proud of his first effort, but
says it reflected only a narrow band of his full range.
Now, though, Carl combines
his myriad influences — R&B, dancehall, pop, soul, gospel,
etc. — on his sophomore album, I Wish (CeSoul Music, distribution
by DEP/Universal). “The new record is who I really am, as
an artist and a person,” he says. The moment is ripe, given
reggae’s increasing influence on urban music. “This
is a great time for me, because reggaeton and dancehall are really
stepping to the forefront,” he says. “People are willing
to give it a chance, wanting to give it an ear. I’m glad that
I’m able to make music that reflects that.”
 CeSoul
CEO Cecil Collins helped Henry gather a superb team of collaborators
to create I Wish. Carl co-wrote several songs with Teron Beal, hit
composer for Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross and
Deborah Cox. “[Working with Teron] was initially somewhat
intimidating. I went in thinking that I would be quiet, that he
would dictate what I would sing — but we clicked right away,”
Henry says. “He listened to my ideas, I listened to his, we
played off each other. We were initially supposed to do one song
together, but wound up doing five.”
Joseph Stonestreet, formerly
of Blackstreet, was another key contributor; he co-wrote and co-produced
significant portions of I Wish. “Joe is like my musical father,”
Henry says. “To have somebody who has mastered music to the
level that he has — I’m constantly learning so much
from him, as a writer and a vocalist.”
Carl says he especially
enjoyed working with Bizzo, an up-and-coming Philadelphia producer
who is steeped in hip-hop vibes. “We did a ton of songs together,”
Henry says. “Hopefully this is one of those career things,
where we’re still working together three or four albums down
the line.”
For I Wish’s coup
de grâce, hip-hop industry veteran J Rome connected Carl with
JR Writer, ace rhyme slayer from New York’s Diplomats crew,
for a jumped-up remix of Bizzo’s Perfect. The result, a hot
mash of rap, reggae and R&B, which has already caused serious
damage on the dance floor. “Perfect” was the set up
track for I Wish’s title track, produced by the Red One (Christina
Milian, A-Teens), that reached Top 20 on Canadian CHR charts.
Now comes the r&b groover Little Mama, a momentous hook laden
chugger that is already burning up the airwaves.
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