[ u n c l e . s a m : l o v e . o n . w a x ]

[ t e x t . o n l y . v e r s i o n ]

by cyclone

If Uncle Sam sounds like Boyz II Men's alter ego on his melancholy hit "I Don't Ever Want To See You Again", there's a simple reason for it. He is the first artist to emerge from the Motown group's new label venture, Stonecreek, based in their native Philadelphia.

The patriotic Uncle Sam figure has little positive symbolic value to Black America, and so it comes as no great surprise that there's an ironic story behind Sam Turner's stage name. 'I'm the youngest of six kids, so when I was 20-years-old my brother had a daughter, and I've been Uncle Sam ever since,' he says. 'I always wanted to use that name when I came to the stage. One day Wanya Morris from Boyz II Men called at the house. My niece answered the phone and she was like, "Uncle Sam, telephone!" When he heard that he just went bananas!'

As Stonecreek's flagship act, Turner, who was born and raised not so far away from Philly in the culturally rich Detroit, Michigan, admits that he's been under significant pressure to blow up. After all, Boyz II Men made a point of setting up their label with Epic and not Motown (or, at least, its parent, PolyGram) early in 1996, because they were unhappy over label CEO Andre Harrell's authorising of their 1995 remix set. To add insult to injury, BIIM feel that their most recent album, "Evolution", has not performed nearly as well as their previous efforts due to inadequate promotion. Amid rumours of their imminent departure from Motown, BIIM clearly want to prove a point by triumphing on another major. Here the hapless Sam enters the picture. 'There's still a lot of pressure on me,' he says philosophically, 'but I turn it into adrenalin to make me work harder.'

This son of a Baptist minister didn't always see himself singing for his bread. Indeed, Sam imagined he would follow in his father's footsteps. And in one sense he has. The Rev Sam Turner has long been known to his flock as 'Singing Sam'. Fittingly, Sam Jnr, who has sung in the church since he was a tyke, cites his father as one of his musical influences, along with Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. 'Some things that I do might remind you of my father if you had ever heard him,' he says. 'I definitely soaked up his style like a sponge and just added my own little vibe that God gave me.'

It was through his church that Sam was recruited for the gospel stage production "A Good Man Is Hard To Find". He toured with the popular musical for well over three years. When that wound up, he embarked on a solo career in the more secular field of R&B. His manager Charlucci Finney, a former assistant road manager with Jodeci when they toured with BIIM, was the one who introduced him to Morris. Having heard about BIIM's label deal, Finney arranged for Turner to sing Wonder's "You And I" over the phone to him. Before long, 'Smiling Sam' was down with the multi-platinum BIIM.

Sam is justifiably pleased with his eponymous debut, which could almost pass as a solo record from one of the BIIM members. 'It's just a lot of love,' he says, warming to the subject. 'I got Boyz II Men singing on the album, I got Brandy singing on the album, I got Johnny Gill singing on the album, and I'm just giving my all from track to track.' BIIM's hefty involvement in the project as writers, producers and backing vocalists meant that Turner found recording a revelation in itself. 'It's just unbelievable how much those guys have blessed me with mentally,' he enthuses, 'you know, putting me up on the business and sharing their experiences from working with different producers; the whole nine yards they definitely dropped jewels in my treasure chest.' Turner recorded some forty tracks for his LP over a six-month period in BIIM's Philly studios, eventually whittling them down to the strongest eleven. The album, which Sam completed before BIIM kicked off "Evolution", is dominated by ballads in a similar vein to his breakthrough "I Don't Ever" -- which, as it happens, harks back to BIIM's monumental "End Of The Road". In true gospel-soul tradition, Turner gets down, lets rip, professes his undying love, pleads and testifies over the course of the entire album.

Regardless, the passionate singer admits that he can only indirectly relate to the you-done-me-wrong epitome, "I Don't Ever". 'I've been hurt before, but it's never been a situation where it was my best friend and the love of my life,' he confides, 'so I just used the pain that I felt from my experience to communicate the meaning of that particular song.' The swinging opener, "Can You Feel It", is one of two uptempos. Oddly enough, when the song was selected as the first single Stateside, it failed to take off. This party joint is noteworthy because it features none other than Popa Chief, a former affiliate of the Wu-Tang Clan, who is also now aligned with Stonecreek.

Turner, who still bases himself in Motown's original home, is already looking to launch his own label to foster the city's talent. 'It's very powerful,' he says proudly of the Motor City's R&B scene today. 'I mean, music is powerful in Detroit, period. There's so much talent here as well, there's just no avenue at this point, but it is coming.'

Sam has recently finished a massive tour of the US with BIIM (alongside newcomers Destiny's Child and Mya) and says that Australians can look forward to him opening for the group when they tour Oz.

Uncle Sam is out through Sony.

[ b a c k . t o . c o n t e n t s . p a g e ]