Addiction is a musical screenplay that embodies the extended works of Chico Debarge’s
“Long Time No See” – as a ghetto griot whose musical works personi!es life in the streets
and that of everyday people. Chico creates a musical movie canvas, as one listens; the
scenes play out; becoming ever more real and life-like. The plot, the intricacies and details
along with the poetic subliminal messages; linger in your mind long after the songs are over.
Following the formula and vein of his classic recording, Chico partnered once again with Kedar Massenburg of Kedar Entertainment; whose musical directives were essential in de!ning this enormous talent. As Kedar states “Chico has written a beautiful masterpiece while living through his own pains and continual struggles. His life speaks volumes and he relates to everyone’s joys and pains; creating music of substance; essentially reality music.”
These realities have honed Debarge’s craft of storytelling; which have grown more mature as the years have gone by; with life becoming ever so real, with insurmountable challenges. Chico looked to his music roots; not only sound and style; but also direction. Addiction takes us on the journey – from one moment to the next. As the tracks change as pages in a book, we sit and listen; waiting for the next musical introduction. As the album opens, Chico speaks frankly and brie”y to his own addiction, without beating the point; all the while creating metaphorical reference to each and everyone’s problem. The problems that everyday people face in light of drugs, sex, food, abuse – addictions we all face and struggle with daily. The featured single “Oh No!” with its up-tempo Roots-like groove and live instrumentation brings us back to the Chico we know taking us directly to the sexy-yet bashful and down-to-earth Chico his audience have come to appreciate and love.
Addiction speaks to love and the complexity of its nature…the wanting more. Such songs as “ She Love’s Me”, exposes the rare honesty people face in accepting a#ection in light of a perilous environment. Chico being a proponent for intimacy and a#ection is easily heard in “I Forgot Your Name” and “Tell Your Man” which features JOE; where they advise women to tell their men to treat them right, or else…Respectful of other musical story-tellers, Chico’s collaboration with hip-hop presario, Talib Kweli on the cut “Math” is an R&B/Hip-Hop classic in the making. Through “I’m Okay” and “Slick”, Chico provides the listener with an idea of his own battles; all the while assuring the audience that he is okay and that support is always necessary and needed. The raw – unabashed emotion seen in the Chico’s musical veins introduced by Curtis May!eld, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke – has Chico reaching to new heights with original instrumentations from seasoned professionals – geniuses to be precise. Musicians entrenched in the “ways” and waves of sounds; creating music for an ongoing !lm score and soundtrack for a musical screenplay called “Addition: Reality Music”.
