Ladies at a Circle of Sisters performance capture Joe on their camera phones. “For me, music is about being honest,” says the singer. “I’m not going to record something that I haven’t been through. On `What If A Woman,’ I literally thought about what would happen if women did some of the things that we [men] did.”
After years of recording for a major label, Joe is happy he’s now calling the shots. “Being an artist on my own label is incredible. It is one of the best things that any artist can ask for,” explains Joe.
Joe sets the record straight on modern day album sales. “I’ve been in the game 15 years so I’ve learned all the ends and outs [of the music business],” says Joe. “I’m not really concerned because we have other ways of capitalizing off the Internet like ringtones and digital downloads.”
The chocolate crooner revels in his international appeal as he woos a crowd in Japan. “There’s so much more that you have to put into an R&B record to have it relate,” says Joe. “Some people only listen to the track, some people only listen to the melody. It’s a lot to deal with.”
The Georgia-born balladeer shares his songwriting secrets. “I do songs that have real substance and meaning to them. The lyrics make sense.”
A preacher’s kid twice, Joe plans to return to his roots one day. “My family and I are definitely going to do a gospel album, he says. “I’m actually going to sign my five siblings and my parents.”
