Eric Roberson knows a thing or two about love. Whether he’s delighting fans on tour, or cooking Sunday morning breakfast for his wife and son, he simply loves to love. We recently sat down with soul music’s “nice guy” to talk about his latest album, the inspiration behind his music, and fourth grade crushes.
Jada Gomez-Lacayo: So your album is called Mr. Nice Guy. A lot of guys always say, “Nice guys finish last.” Do you think that nice guys do finish last in love?
Eric Roberson: In the long run, no, because positive things trump negative things. I think that people misinterpret the word nice. A nice guy doesn’t mean that he’s not a strong guy. And I think in today’s day and age, we have to fight against that. So many things are contagious. Why not make good gestures and positive perceptions contagious? I consider myself a nice guy, and I feel like I’ve had every great opportunity come to me because of the way I handle myself.
J.G.: I know that you’re influenced by hip hop, but what are your other influences?
Eric Roberson: Growing up in New Jersey, we were so close to so many different energies. I grew up with gospel music, though house music was very important to partying in New Jersey. That’s something that we still hold on to. It’s nurtured in New Jersey, and in Baltimore and Chicago as well. So I grew up appreciating that steady beat, that uptempo feel, that dance, let yourself go, kind of night. But there were so many things. My father would just come home with whatever albums he was feeling. It might be Bob Dylan or The Beatles. It would be Kurtis Blow or Run DMC. He would come home with so many different feels. Michael Jackson, and George Benson, and Chicago, the Alman Brothers. If he felt something he played it. So I don’t know if I really ever made a distinction between the music. If it felt good, it felt good. It was just as simple as that. And for me, to this day, I look for soul music in all genres. I love finding soul music in country songs. I love finding soul music in rock & roll. I love finding soul music in R&B. I love finding soul music in hip-hop. I love, say, Biggie Smalls, but I lean towards A Tribe Called Quest. I felt the soul music in that music. I listen to Radiohead, I felt the soul music in their music. So I always kind of lean towards that.
J.G.: Are there any artists in other genres, like country or rock, that you would love to collaborate with in the future?
Eric Roberson: I feel like I touch on it a little bit at different times. There are certain songs of mine that I would love to do over in different aspects. “Couldn’t Hear Me Over The Music” I think could really be a rock song one day. Bob Dylan or Tom Waite could easily sing that song. You know that song was inspired by hip-hop. A lot of Bob Dylan songs sound like he was rapping over the melody. I think the storytelling in country music is phenomenal. And I would say that I feel like I’ve been inspired with it in some of my songs. I love somebody who can put together a combination of words. I’m literally in love with the combination of words.
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