Brian McKnight 'Gemini' album

Few performers are as versatile as singer, composer and producer Brian McKnight.

Well respected for his skills on the piano and guitar, McKnight can slide effortlessly from playing an R&B gig at New York's Radio City Music Hall to a sanctified gospel church in South LA to a swinging jazz club in Europe. And all the while, his trademark falsetto is always on point.

After 12 plus years in the game, McKnight has recorded with Willie Nelson, Nelly, Vanessa Williams, Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake, Kenny G. and many more. He's sold over 16 million records, including the three million selling Back At One and the double platinum Anytime. He also won American Music, Soul Train and NAACP Image Awards.

"When I am at a concert and I play an album cut that wasn't a single and the audience sings along and knows all the words, then I feel so good. That's showing me real love. That's why I will always stay true to my core audience."

But beyond the accolades, it's still about the music for Brian McKnight. And like a young Ray Charles, his sensibilities have always cut across genres and defied music programmers who try to put him in a box. That's why the eclectic Buffalo, NY native named his latest Motown LP Gemini.

"Though I don't take the zodiac thing too seriously, I know there is something to the fact that I'm a Gemini," says McKnight, who admits his curious minded astrological sign sometimes gets him into sticky situations.

"All my life as a Gemini, people say I am so hard to read. "Oh no! He's a Gemini.' On this album I am not running away from that. I am embracing all my complexities. It's OK to be a chameleon and adapt."

And like a true Gemini, he has many passions: scuba diving, basketball, riding motorcycles and top shelf art. "I love the idea of doing something new and exciting," he says. "Music is what I do, but it's not all that I am."

Indeed. McKnight has been busy indulging his hobbies since last year's album U-Turn. In addition to moving on from a divorce, he's also kept in shape by playing guard for a California ABA basketball team called the Ontario Warriors. And this past summer, he hosted a talk show style program called "The Vegas Show" with singer Sheena Easton at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.

Just like he's done on every album since his 1992 platinum debut, McKnight's deft touch as producer and writer shines on Gemini.

"I try to mix it up. Of course I do my usual ballads, which is what everybody knows me for. But this time it was harder to write sad songs. That's just not how I'm feeling right now. I am so happy and I'm having fun again. If my last record U Turn was that 'what am I going to do now' album, then Gemini is me back in my own real skin."

And though his last album U-Turn didn't reach his usual sales, McKnight saw it as a chance to retool his sound. I went back to the drawing board and I think I've come back to my roots. I think this one is record company proof."

The flirtatious first single "What We Do Here" has already hit number one on the Urban AC radio format. McKnight says the song is a perfect example of the good time he had making his eighth studio album. "What We Do Here" is about a man who is about to perform and asking a girl in his dressing room to give him some," he laughs. "It's a fun song."

On "She," a love letter to a woman, McKnight is joined by Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli and Philly soul man Musiq. "It's all about meeting a girl that's everything you want."

And while things get a bit risqué on Gemini, McKnight also has classic love songs for the ladies. One song is the sparkling and dreamy "Every Time You Go Away," which McKnight thinks will remind fans of his signature sound. "That song puts me back to Back At One," he says. "If there's been a song that feels like that album, this is the song."

On the title cut "Gemini," McKnight urges a woman to throw caution to the wind and enjoy the fun, but sometimes-unpredictable ride when dating a Gemini man. "Don't ever be afraid of the Gemini," he croons, "get to know me and I might change your mind."

Other appearances include New Orleans' rappers Juvenile and Skip and new jack singer Akon on the upbeat "What You Gonna Do." But instead of jam-packing his album with guest stars or hip-hop cats of the moment, Gemini still feels like grown folks' music. It's vintage Brian McKnight: A masterful writer and producer who makes timeless music.

"I always say stick to your guns," McKnight says about his musical instincts. "Listening to the radio all the time, you will only hear the same stuff. The goal is to get them to play something else. I think it's all about having that song people want to hear. Programming is important, but when the people speak, they have to follow. "

And after Gemini pleases his millions of fans, McKnight plans to follow it up with a jazz album. A big fan of the music, he has always dreamed of making an all jazz LP. And even if it doesn't play on pop radio, he will still be pleased. "What I hope to give them is an alternative to what's out there. I just love to be creative. If only ten people show up at my jazz show, then that's fine. It really is about expressing yourself. "

So catch him if you can, this ever shifting musical man who shows no sign of slowing down. Proving that the dualities of his sign are true to life, Brian McKnight remains a complex artist who won't ever stop surprising his fans.

"I always try and make a record that you can listen to all the way through," he concludes. When you accomplish that as a musician, you are headed in the right direction."

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Brian McKnight - Gemini