Carol Albert - A New Chapter

Carol Albert is an artist that had enjoyed great success as of late on the Smooth Jazz charts. On the heels of "Perfect Sunday" being a charttopper, she recently released "For The Moment" which is destined for the same success. Recently, we met with Carol to discuss her past accomplishments and what's on the horizon.

By: Keivu G. Knox SJM: How ate things going for you Carol? Carol: Things are good, just trying to manage it all. Being an independent artist, I have to keep tabs on my to-do items and make sure I get things done. SJM: I see that you have been back on tour and have done a few concerts recently. Now that things are opening up, how have you been adjusting? Carol: I think for myself, it's been great to perform again after not performing, for over a year. I think it's still a little uncertain in terms of what the future holds with upcoming gigs and potential cancellations. That requires an emotional adjustment. But the shows I have done are amazing, and the audience has been so receptive because they are happy to see live music again. People love the interaction between the artists, and n look thing can replace the energy of live music. SJM: Have you made any personal adjustments? Carol: No, I haven't made any changes personally. I haven't moved or changed my goals. I may be going about things a little differently, but I still want to write music, I'm working on a new album, and, I'm continuing to stay involved with family, friends, and the industry. I've attended more webinars to stay informed. One is helping me with creating goals and always keeping the "why" of things as a priority. When I'm aware of my "why," I'm able to focus on it and work towards it. I want to be able to give people something meaningful, especially with some peoSep/Oct Let the music take you… SmoothJazz Magazine | 13

ple battling hopelessness with everything going on. It helps keep me balanced. SJM: Speaking of balance, I want to ask how you are able to balance all that you do. You have a successful career, you're teaching people h ok w to play the piano, and you place a high priority on spending time with family. What is your secret? Carol: I think that for me it's setting priorities. For me, its starts with God, family, and health first. After that, then I focus on work, and I think doing it that way kind of keeps you on track and keeps you balanced. Things fall into place a bit easier. When you put too much on your plate, it is easier to get off balance and it makes things more challenging. SJM: Switching gears a bit, "Stronger Now" continues to do well, with "Perfect Sunday" being a favorite. What was your inspiration behind that song? Carol: That song is important because the title is actually very relevant to the song. I was in the process of writing the song but I wanted something different. I was out walking on a Sunday and it was the perfect day with the weather and I thought that would make sense to title the song "Perfect Sunday." It's relaxing with an upbeat melody, and we had some great players on it. Everything came into place to where it was

really the perfect song. SJM: So you had the song first and then the title came to you on that day? Carol: For my songs, l just hear the melody in my mind, and then play it, but I don't title it then. I will title them after I've been working on the song a little bit. It will just come to me and I'll be thinking "oh that's the perfect, or it's the perfect title for this." And that process is also true with the titles of my albums. I have an idea of what I want to do and then I'm all over that idea for a long time, and then all of a sudden, the title will come. I'm actually in the process of doing that with my new album. I have ideas that I'm compiling but I don't have a title just let. I 14| SmoothJazz Magazine Let the music take you… Sep/Oct

“I think it's more about going on with my life, it's more about, where I am today. I've said everything that I think I've had to say about loss, grief, and recovery. So now I think it's about a new chapter and going forward.“ Carol Albert

have a firm belief in where things are headed with it. SJM: Are you still in the new album or are you in Carol: I have a couple of some collaborating on artists. I'm working on man from Spyro Gyra figuring out if I want to so I'm still in the early SJM: Is the content inor is this something toCarol: I think it's more life, it's more about, said everything that I about loss, grief, and reit's about a new chapter

writing stages for the the recording stage yet? songs so far, I've done the writing with other songs with Tom Schuand Paul Brown. I'm still do an EP or a full album stages. spired by the pandemic tally different? about going on with my where I am today.. 8've think I've had to say covery. So now I think and going forward. SJM: Tell us about your latest single, "For The Moment." That appears to be doing well for you Carol: "For The Moment" is a song that I wrote for the pandemic, but my inspiration behind the song was from a book I was reading. It was about living in the present, and, that is something that I personally struggle with. I'm learning that you're able to enjoy life more by staying in the present, whether it's a relationship or a phase of life that you're in. Sep/Oct Let the music take you… SmoothJazz Magazine | 15

SJM: I know we're talking about moving forward but let's look back for a bit. A lot of people may not be aware that you released some albums in the early 90s. Do you remember what you were thinking during that time, did you have any expectations? Carol: I didn't have a lot of expectations, to be honest. I recorded two albums with an independent German record company and it was nice to do that. I didn't have any goals with it but it was nice that I released them. I still get notes from DJs letting me know when they play singles from those albums. After those two albums, we parted ways and then I did a Christmas album. I also did some writing for a PBS mini-series for TV. But after all of that I wanted to take a break, I didn't want to travel anymore and I took time off from the business. I didn't really get back into writing until 2014, but that's when things really began to take off again, and it's been busy ever since! SJM: Let me ask you this, is there any type of project that you haven't done that you would consider doing? Carol: Well I've been more and more thinking about collaborating with other people in terms of writing and creating. But that's a hard question. Sometimes I just

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go with the flow and if something just comes up out of the blue, then I go with it. SJM: Speaking of collaborations, if you could have the ultimate collaboration, who would it be with and what song would you like to cover. Carol: Tat's a hard one. I've already covered one of my favorite tunes when I did "Mas Que Nada." I would probably love to collaborate with Stevie Wonder, and maybe cover one of his songs, I've always been a fan of Stevie Wonder, and also Elton John, I'm heavily influenced by Elton John. And if I ever had a chance to collaborate with him, that would be like the ultimate dream come true. SJM: I'm sure another dream came true in 2017, when "On My Way" my way was your first billboard charting song. What were your thoughts when you finally made it on a Billboard chart? Do you remember where you were and what your reaction was? Carol: I can't remember where I was. I do remember having a glass of wine and celebrating, and I remember that it was a good bottle of wine (laughs) But with the music business, it's like "what's next?" I didn't have time to celebrate for too long, because I knew that I had more work to do. SJM: Let me ask you this. You have mentioned it earlier, and I was aware that you have composed for a TV series. Is your approach different compared to writing for an album? Carol: Absolutely, because it's more directed by what they, the producers want as opposed to what I know at that moment when I write my original songs. I'm able to dictate that. For TV you write with a specific purpose, and some people have the ability and discipline to do that.

SJM: Here's a random, but a somewhat relevant question related to what we're talking about. What is your favorite TV theme song? Carol: Another hard question! (laughs) Through the years there have been some great theme songs, I can say people always used to ask me to play Hill Street Blues, which was like one of the most requested songs for me. Also, the Snoopy theme is so iconic and I love to play it as well. I was watching a documentary on CNN about TV theme songs and how they have evolved over the years, and it made me remember so many great songs. SJM: Now tell us about something totally unrelated to your music, what is the secret behind "Carol's famous Carrot Cake? Carol: (laughs) You know, one of the things of being from the south, I learned how to cook really early. My mother gave me this cookbook; it was a cake cookbook when I was in the eighth grade. I still have it but w it's literally falling apart and the pages are disintegrating! But it taught me how to make cake from scratch and it's just something that I've continued to do over the years. It's to the point now where if I make it, and post it on Facebook, people will ask me "Can you make me your famous Carrot Cake?" Even my son, who lives in DC, when I go see him, he will ask me to

make it, but a lot of times I have to get the things I need for it because he doesn't know! But it's one of the things I really like to make, maybe I'll open up a bakery! (Laughs) SJM: So now we're at the end and here's your final question. What is one thing your fans would be surprised to find out about you, whether it's a hobby or a hidden talent, or something that you like to do? Carol: I'll give you a couple of things, First, I like gardening. I like to work in my garden. For me it's a very peaceful, time to be outside, planting flowers. One thing that I used to do a lot that I miss is running. I used to run a lot. I don't run anymore but I've run three marathons in my lifetime and eight half marathons but I've retired from running to focus on other things. SJM: Thank you for that, and thank you for sharing your time with us today. Best of luck on the new album and future dates!

Carol: Thank you so much it was my pleasure!