By Darlene C. Donloe
Jonathan Butler has long been lauded and applauded for his popular
R&B, pop and gospel songs. Now
the handsome South African singer is giving his fans another genre to smile
about – Christmas music.
For the first time in his career, Butler has released a
Christmas CD. Merry Christmas To You
has eight traditional songs and a
couple of newbies he penned, including the title track as well as the song, Happy Holidays.
Released by Artistry Music, the playlist includes: Merry Christmas To You, Sleigh Ride, Happy
Holidays, This Christmas, Little Drummer Boy, Have Yourself A Merry Little
Christmas, I’ll Be Home For Christmas, The First Noel, O Holy Night and the
lesser known Sweet Little Jesus Boy.
While there are traditional songs, Butler, a two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter-guitarist, has added
his own flavor to each selection.
There is an instrumental take with a South African flair on Sleigh Ride and Little Drummer Boy.
Butler says he deliberately didn’t want the songs to have a
“lot of instrumentation.” Plus, he says, he wanted his
“fans to have a personal Christmas message from me.”
The youngest of 17 children, Butler, a former child star who
grew up under apartheid, was the first
black artist played on radio stations in South Africa.
I caught up with the singing sensation
recently to talk about his latest CD.
DD: Why did you
finally decide to do a Christmas album?
JB: In 2013, I
feel like I’m in a good place. I feel like I’m in my prime creatively. I hear
everything, feel everything. I can touch it. I can make sounds. I feel like
something is happening to me – lyrically. I’ve gone through some stuff.
DD: How long did
it take you to pull this CD together?
JB: I think I
did it in one week from Saturday to Saturday. In one week I chose the songs. I
needed to get it out of my system. I had no idea it was going to turn out like
that. This is about plugging your
guitar and voice into a recorder. I went online and got the lyrics of the songs
and I was in my room by myself and began to sing the song. I didn’t even do two
or three takes. I wanted this to be raw. I wanted to capture my spiritual
feelings.
DD: You
definitely put you own funk on these songs.
JB: I put a
little bit of flavor on Sleigh Ride.
It’s very South African.
DD: When will
you release some new R&B music?
JB: I’m writing
a new urban album that is coming out next year. I tracked down George Duke
before he passed away and also Marcus Miller. I think 2013 was one of those
years where I pushed myself. There are some things I needed to complete.
DD: You seem
very happy right now.
JB: I’m in a good
place. I’m still growing. Right now I’m enjoying the music.
DD: Why these
songs? What was the process in
deciding which songs to sing?
JB: Well, when
you hear O Holy Night, you hear how I’m
seeing it personally. Didn’t want it tainted with piano and stuff like that.
DD: You have a
song on the CD that isn’t that well known.
JB: Little Jesus Boy, a friend turned me on
to that. He said it was a Negro spiritual. I heard it from an early recording.
The songs I chose were songs that don’t need productions, it just needs
guitar.
DD: So, of
course, you’re singing them during the Dave Koz Christmas Tour.
JB: Yes, the portion
of the show I do is simple. It’s about the message. If people hear the words to
what you say, it has a greater impact. It becomes more stripped down. It makes
more sense to me. I do Little Drummer Boy
every night on stage. It has now become my prayer dedication for Nelson
Mandela. The song takes on a whole new meaning. It’s great to do live.
DD: What song
was your go to song when you were growing up?
JB: The only
record I ever played was Nat King Cole’s Christmas album. I played it every year. It’s kind of
cool to have a Christmas album that people like. It could have been the other
way around. Thank God for the anointing.
DD: What is your
favorite Christmas song?
JB: Sweet Little Jesus Boy and Little Drummer Boy, I like it that way.
Sometimes we funk it up. I went into a different place for it. It’s me. It’s a
little South African. It has a different feel that I like. I just plugged
myself in and started singing.
DD: Was it you or your record company that
wanted you to do the Christmas CD?
JB: It was me. I
wrote and recorded the CD. I went in to see them about something. I said, ‘By
the way, I wrote a Christmas record. Call me if you like it. Call me if you
don’t. I got a call from the president of the company the next day. He was
really excited. I said, ‘Hopefully you can fund it.’ He said I got his family
in the mood for Christmas and it’s June.
DD: You wrote
two songs for the CD. Talk about
them.
JB: There are
going to be more in the future. It’s important to write. What is your
experience about Christmas? We should usher in a new Christmas story of our
own. Happy Holidays and Merry
Christmas To You is like postcards to family. I’m impressed to write more Christmas
songs. I wanted to write more. I
have another full Christmas album in me.
We should all step into our own Christmas experience.
DD: Do you have
any Christmas traditions?
JB: It’s a
special time. It’s a huge family affair with a lot of feasting and singing
carols. Christmas Eve is as big as Christmas. Christmas is just for family.
Then we have Boxing Day (or Day of Goodwill), which is the day after. That’s
when we invite the friends. It’s a long celebration in South Africa. It’s always
been that way at my house.
DD: Describe
your best Christmas - EVER.
JB: It is going
to be this one. I’m flying a lot of family members to Los Angeles. It’s been a
long time since we’ve all been
together. It will be very special. They will meet my granddaughter. They
haven’t met her yet.
DD: What’s next
for you?
JB: 2014 is
going to be hectic. I don’t want to think about it. I have a cruise in January.
I have a new record in February/March. I’m going to Manila for a relief benefit
at the end of February. I will also be in Indonesia. I will be in London in
March. I am living my dream. My new album comes out next year. I have the Dave
Koz cruise. Then I got back to South Africa to host my safari and launch the
Jonathan Butler Foundation in Capetown.
DD: Tell me
about the foundation.
JB: The
foundation is very exciting. We launched it this year in Johannesburg. We are
funded by local governments.
DD: Your focus
is drug abuse prevention. Is that because it’s very personal to you?
JB: Yes, it’s
because it was my story – drug abuse. The foundation will deal with drug abuse
prevention, music therapy and music education. We are doing a lot of cool stuff.
I will be spending more time in South Africa. We can’t fight drug lords, but we
can win our kids back. Purpose Kills Addiction is the purpose. We are focused
on getting involved in local communities and schools.
Butler is also part
of the Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour with Oleta Adams and keyboardist
Keiko Matsui. The tour concludes Dec. 22, at the Warfield in San
Francisco.
To find out more
about Butler and his upcoming Dave Koz & Christmas Tour, log on to
www.jonathanbutler.com.
On the DONLOE
SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (OK) and E
(excellent), Merry Christmas To You gets an E (excellent).
