LEFT by Eric Roberson

14 Songs, 1 Hour, 3 Minutes

EDITORS’ NOTES

In an interview, Eric Roberson said that the title for his 2007 album LEFT came from his feeling that other artists had “left behind” key elements in music: specifically, sincere love and respect for music and musicianship. While a lot of R&B performers seem to simply play the roles the public expects of them, Roberson has a relatable presence. The integrity he shows in his music is matched by his lyrics' sincerity. The love expressed in “The Baby Song” doesn’t seem like an obligatory put-on for R&B fans; it feels earned and from the heart. The naturalism and open-heartedness Roberson expresses keeps his music from becoming soggy or schmaltzy; the hip-hop-inflected beats of “Been in Love…,” “If I Had a Chance," and “Evening” are impressively crisp. One of Roberson’s other tricks is to invest his music with the richness and texture of jazz without seeming pretentious; “Pretty Girl,” “Open Your Eyes," and “Couldn’t Hear Her" incorporate jazz elements while remaining earthy and hypnotic.

EDITORS’ NOTES

	TITLE		TIME
	Music		5:04
	Evening		5:29
	Been In Love...(featuring Phonte from Little Brother)		3:52
	Pen Just Cries Away		3:39
	Iluvu2much (Featuring Algebra Blessett)		3:32
	Only for You		4:47
	Pretty Girl		4:37
	Too Soon		3:29
	If I Had a Chance		3:45
	Open Your Eyes		3:52
	Right or Wrong		4:37
	The Baby Song		3:52
	Couldn't Hear Her (Featuring Curt Chambers)		9:03
	The Smoke Signals- Man Who Had It All		4:01

About Eric Roberson

Eric Roberson entered the music industry through a major label before he became one of the foremost independent R&B artists of the 2000s and 2010s. In 1994, as a teenager, the Rahway, New Jersey native debuted on Warner Bros. with "The Moon." Although the smooth, post-new jack ballad was a minor hit -- it reached number 53 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart that summer -- its parent album was shelved. Roberson returned to Howard University on a musical theater scholarship and earned his degree. During the latter half of the '90s, armed with an EMI publishing contract, he wrote and arranged tracks for Phajja, 112, and Gina Thompson.

The following decade, Roberson went fully independent with his Blue Erro Soul label, launched with his full-length debut, Esoteric (2001). The same year that album was issued, Roberson, as Erro, also made waves in clubs with "Don't Change" (aka "Change for Me"), a single originally released on Osunlade's Yoruba label. As his solo career was moving forward again, he was also working with Philadelphians Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Vivian Green, as well as with Detroiter Dwele, for whom he co-wrote and co-produced "Hold On," another single that happened to peak at number 53 R&B. Roberson released solo albums every couple years, adding to his catalog with The Appetizer (2005), ...Left (2007), and Music Fan First (2009). The latter included "A Tale of Two" and "Still," songs that were nominated for Grammy Awards in the category of Best Urban/Alternative R&B.

The Recording Academy's acknowledgments, along with new support from a partnership with Purpose Music and distributor eOne, helped send Mr. Nice Guy (2011) to number 14 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Roberson subsequently took part in contemporary gospel leader Fred Hammond's United Tenors project and fronted Zo!'s "We Are on the Move" (both 2013), then reverted to Blue Erro releases with B-Sides, Features & Heartaches and The Box (both 2014). He then linked up with occasional collaborator Phonte for Tigallerro (2016), and in early 2017 issued Earth, the first installment of a planned trilogy of empowerment-themed EPs. ~ Andy Kellman & David Jeffries