Eric Benet returns with a new outlook on love and life and has put it all into his new CD! MiddleChild spoke with Eric about his new music, touring and the lessons he has learned on his journey.

Eric Benet: RoJay. What's going on?

MiddleChild: Nothing much Eric. How is everything on your end?

Eric Benet: Oh man. I'm just feeling good.

MiddleChild: I feel you. So the album is in stores now! How is it going for you?

Eric Benet: It's going great. I'm happy to be finished with it and I'm happy to have people feeling it like they are and I'm in a good space.

MiddleChild: That's what's up. "Love & Life". Tell me what frame of mind you were in when you went into the lab to put this together. What was your focus for the project?

Eric Benet: Well my thing is I'm the kind of songwriter where I just open up and I just write where I'm at. Write where my heart is. And I think you can look at some of my previous work like my last CD, "Hurricane". I was going through a lot of personal crisis and drama and you know all of that stuff, so it's right there on the record. Right now I am in this really happy, pleasant, grateful,wanna dance, wanna sing, wanna make love, wanna enjoy life place and that's what the record is reflecting.

MiddleChild: Definitely. I want to congratulate you on the number record. "You're The Only One".

Eric Benet: Thank you so much.

MiddleChild: I am really on that song right now. Nice work. It's a feel good record of course. I'm also feeling "Hunger" a lot. Tell me about "You're The Only One" though. Is it about someone in particular or was it just basically about a place that you've been before that you kind of wanted to touch on again?

Eric Benet: Yea. It's not about anybody in particular. The song really started as a conversation. I went back home and wrote most of this record in my hometown of Milwaukee and went into the studio with my partner Demonte and got my cousin George in on most of the songs. So we were just having a conversation in the studio about the way they used to make music; The way that they used to craft and construct a song back in the day. Artists like The O'Jays, Blue Magic and The Chi-Lites. Songs used to have a beginning, they used to have a middle, a climax and an ending. The arrangements were always beautiful and they don't do that anymore. Kind of like today, a producer will make a hot beat and then somebody will kind of write a melody on top of it.

MiddleChild: Right.

Eric Benet: So that conversation we were having kind of turned into a jam session and the jam session turned into that song. So I started kind of singing those words and that particular melody just felt like "missing". Missing someone. Missing something. You know what I'm saying? Certain songs,certain melodies...A song almost tells you what it's going to be about before you even write the words. You can feel it in the melody and you can feel it in the music. Oh this song is about I'm happy. I feel like dancing. This song is about I miss somebody or I'm in love. Even before you write the words, the melody should be able to tell you what it's going to be about and "You're The Only One" was that type of vibe.

MiddleChild: Okay. So speaking of how the producers of today build their music and seeing that you have been in the game for a minute, what would you say has been like the biggest change in how you construct your records but keeping up with all of the new trends in the industry today?

Eric Benet: I think for me I listen to what's happening out there, but I don't necessarily try to keep up with it. I mean I just feel like I...like if you listen to my I-Pod or my record collection, 98% of what I listen to are the classics. 98% of what I'm listening to is everything from Ella Fitzgerald to Louie Armstrong to the Funkadelics to The Beatles to Steely Dan to Rufus and Chaka Khan, Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder...so it's like classic, classic, classic. I peak my head out there every now and then just to see what's new and there may be a couple things that I think is hot. I like Chrisette Michele. I like Jazmine Sullivan. I like Lupe Fiasco. But like I said most of what I listen is classic. I feel like every time I listen to Stevie Wonders "Talking Book" album, I learn something else. So I mean it's like there is so much that I learn and grow from when I listen to those records and if I try and put that feeling, that authenticity and that craftsmanship into like music that I write. And I think I just been doing it for like you said for a minute. I mean I'm going on like twenty years now in this business and I think I'm just getting a little better and better at my game. So that's what it's about for me.

MiddleChild: I see. Well I know you have good taste in music, so I may have to snatch your I-Pod. (both laugh) As far as putting your projects together, what would you say was the hardest record for you to do whether it was vocally, emotionally, lyrically...which was the most challenging?

Eric Benet: The hardest record to pull off was the first one...(laughs) trying to get a record deal if I were to be honest. I mean the music was there and my first solo record was in '96. I mean being a new artist was hard as hell back then and it's even harder now so my heart goes out to all of these new artists out here trying to get heard and everything going on out there. So yea, that's the hardest thing in the world. Being a new artist and trying to get someone to take notice of your thing. Your vibe.

MiddleChild: Of course you took a little time between "Hurricane" and "Love & Life", so what was the biggest thing you learned about yourself during your break?

Eric Benet: I learned a lot about myself. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life and I learned how to be honest with myself on a level that I've never been before. I think like too often in my past when something was bothering me or if I didn't like the way something was happening in my life I would kind of just sweep it under the rug and say "Oh. That's okay. I'll just deal with it." If you do that too long that shit will blow up in your face. So I think I learned that I just need to be completely honest with myself all the time and everybody around me. It definitely creates a much happier, drama free life.

MiddleChild: Okay. Whats your favorite track on "Love & Life"?

Eric Benet: I don't really have a favorite because they all come from my heart so it's like picking a favorite child. But I will say one of my favorite song to perform would be "Chocolate Legs". The reaction from that song from the beginning has been very, very powerful. The women react incredibly.

MiddleChild: They love it! That's what's up. So youre on the road. What can people expect from an Eric Benet show?

Eric Benet: More of the same. I'm just better at it now. I don't travel with a bunch of dancers or have the pyro or a lot of special effects or anything like that. Im just all about the song and musicians and connecting that to the audience. That's what I'm all about.

MiddleChild: Nice. Well when it's all said and done what would you hope the fans get from the whole experience of "Love & Life"?

Eric Benet: I hope the fans feel where I'm at in my life and by feeling where I'm at that it takes them there. One of the things that I'm hearing from people when they hear this record is that it just feels so good. They say it sounds good and they like the record, but they say it FEELS good and there can always be more of that. Some of that positive, uplifting, going straight to your heart, making your heart feel goodness out there in the world today cause it's crazy out there.

MiddleChild: Definitely need more of that. Well I am enjoying what I have heard so far from it. I haven't completely finished it yet, but so far so good.

Eric Benet: Thank you. I appreciate that.

MiddleChild: No problem. I'll definitely be keeping my people updated on your work as well. So don't worry about that. Now they can also keep tabs on you on your websites, right?

Eric Benet: Right. Ericbenet.net. They can go to myspace.com/ebenet or they can go to trueebfans.com

MiddleChild: Cool I'll make sure to link those to your interview also and I will send you a friend request on myspace.

Eric Benet: Thank you. I appreciate that.

MiddleChild: No problem. Again, congratulations on your number one single and Im sure the album will put up some nice numbers as well.

Eric Benet: Thank you.

MiddleChild: Have a good one.