djzyonsevenToday was not a great day.
I do not really want to get into it, and honestly, some days do not deserve that much explanation.
Some days just feel off from the minute they start.
When that happens, I do what I have always done. I go to music.
I was listening to a lot of music while I worked today. I started with my Spotify playlist Personal Grind, then drifted over to my Slow Jams playlist, trying to find the song that fit my mood.
Nothing was landing.
Nothing was saying exactly what I needed it to say.
Then I heard somebody on TV mention Tevin Campbell’s “Can We Talk”, and the second I heard the title, that was it.
I had to play it immediately.
And just like that, my day turned around.
It became my song of the day.
I truly love this song and its whole vibe. It is smooth, honest, and young in the best way.
Tevin’s voice at that point in his life had that perfect balance of polish and innocence.
He did not sound overworked or overproduced. He sounded fresh, emotional, and real.
That is part of what still makes this record hit the way it does.
It was released on September 21, 1993, as the lead single from his second album, I’m Ready, which followed a month later on October 26, 1993.
The song was written by Babyface and Daryl Simmons, and produced by them, too.
Babyface also contributed background vocals, which makes perfect sense once you know it, because his fingerprints are all over the feel of this record.
And let me clear up one of those music rumors that has floated around forever.
There have been long-running stories that “Can We Talk” was meant for Usher first.
Babyface himself has shut that down and said the song was written specifically for Tevin Campbell, at the request of Quincy Jones. That matters because, honestly, this song fits Tevin like tailored silk.
I cannot hear anybody else singing it.
Now Babyface is a whole problem in the best possible way.
That man dominated the 80s and 90s as a writer and producer, and his catalog is ridiculous.
A dozen artists tied to his songwriting and production legacy include Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, Bobby Brown, TLC, Madonna, Pebbles, Johnny Gill, Tevin Campbell, Mary J. Blige, Karyn White, and Brandy.
That is not even the full roll call.
That is just enough to make the point.
The man was not just outside looking in.
He was the architect in the room.
And that is another reason this song lands so hard.
You have Tevin Campbell, one of the best young male voices of that era, and then you have Babyface, one of the coldest writers and producers to ever touch R&B, building the framework around him.
That is not luck. That is chemistry.
Also, I have said this before and I will say it again: I’m Ready and T.E.V.I.N. are my favorite Tevin Campbell albums.
I have tried to pick one over the other, and I really cannot do it.
Both of them are classics to me.
Both deserve way more appreciation than they get.
If you want a good afternoon or evening listen, put on both and let them ride.
That is grown, real-deal, quality R&B right there.
So yeah, today may not have been a great day.
But somehow “Can We Talk” found me anyway.
And changed my day.
Sometimes that is what music does.
djz7