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By Flint Journal staff
January 13, 2010, 10:29AM
After reuniting with New Kids on the Block for a tour in support of 2008’s “The Block,” Joey McIntyre found himself with a lot to say creatively. So he immediately headed to the studio after the jaunt wrapped up in July and produced the edgy, dance-inspired EP “Here We Go Again,” his first solo effort in five years.
“I was partly inspired by being around so much music and creativity,” McIntyre said. “I also kind of wanted to say my own thing. It’s great to be part of a team, but it’s also fun to say what you want to say and do it exactly the way you want to do it. It’s fun to do both. I’m glad I was able to make the kind of record I wanted to make.”
The seven-song EP showcases McIntyre’s smooth vocals that make him easily one of the most vocally recognizable New Kids. Although “Here We Go Again” dabbles in electronica, McIntyre explained it isn’t that big of a departure for him.
“I don’t think it’s anything too drastic,” McIntyre said. “You like to push the envelope and kind of grow as an artist every time you go in there. I’m excited about it.”
McIntyre is the youngest New Kid — just 11 when he joined and 21 when the group first split. After the split he spent the next decade and a half releasing six solo CDs. (New Kids secretly reunited in 2007 to create “The Block.”) Like “Here We Go Again,” the discs were independently produced, but found an audience. The most successful was 1999s “Stay the Same,” which hit Billboard’s Top 50. McIntyre said recording “Here We Go Again” with producers Brent Paschke, Gabe Lopez and Drew Ryan Scott was a learning experience.
“You try to grow,” McIntyre said. “You try to learn each time and see what feels right. Sometimes you just luck out. I worked with three other guys producing and songwriting. They were able to click into my vision and what I wanted to say. I kind of rode their wave, too. It’s kind of a give and take. It’s very easy to be searching for the right people to work with. To get it from day one, and to just go for it, was great. As far as what I wanted to do on this album that I haven’t done on the others, I just wanted to try to get better.”
Part of that streamlining process was keeping the release at a seven-song EP.
“When you make an album, you start out of the gates and you hit it hard,” McIntyre said. “You come up with a handful of great songs. You could go another year, another six months, of trying to fill up the album. It’s just a process. I was not interested in lollygagging around trying to fill up an album with 13 songs.
McIntyre, 37, is supporting the EP with a club tour that hits the 300-seat Magic Bag in Ferndale on Tuesday.
“I grew up playing small places and that old adage that it doesn’t matter how big the audience is, it’s still an audience,” McIntyre said.
PREVIEW
What: Joey McIntyre concert
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: The Magic Bag, Ferndale
Admission: $30 standing room only
Info: (248) 544-1991 or www.ticketmaster.com
— By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski | For The Flint Journal
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