Remember the days when an old school soul jam could produce goose bumps and instantly conjure up the mood of true romance? Well, those days are back with the arrival of R&B artist D. Goode.
The twenty-something Trenton, New Jersey native cites Sam Cooke (“A Change is Gonna Come” and “You Were Made for Me”), The Temptations (“My Girl” and “I Wish It Would Rain”), and Jodeci (“Stay” and “My Heart Belongs to You”) as some of his most notable musical influences. D. Goode has always had the love of music within his heart. “My father’s an extremely talented musician. He plays guitar and piano fluidly and has always had his own local band”. By spending many hours in the studio with his father D. Goode began to develop a keen ear for authentic and original music in the rarest form sans Pro-tools and perfected mixes. “My dad tried to influence me to get more into music and when I was nine he recorded a demo of me singing “The Tracks of My Tears by the Miracles. I wasn’t really interested in singing back then, but as I got older I constantly found myself befriending musicians and songwriters who steered me into impromptu jam sessions.”
A former West Windsor Plainsboro High School running back and linebacker, D. Goode grew up believing that his passion for sports would be his cash cow. “When I was at the University of Delaware, I was on a partial football scholarship as a running back. I was more comfortable being a jock playing on the field than singing in public. Singing to the ladies was cool, but it wasn’t my main thing back then, he states.”
While attending college a fellow student who was a skilled keyboardist proved to be an inspiration to D. Goode. “He would tell me to freestyle and sing off the top of my head to whatever notes he played. In those days, I couldn’t write a song to save my life.” D. Goode remembers.
Practice makes perfect and unbeknownst to D. Goode back then, singing and songwriting would ultimately become his destiny. “God blesses you with a gift and you only learn to operate in that gift when you embrace it fully. As I began to welcome music, my skills improved. I understood harmony and writing without any formal training.”
An ever evolving vocalist and songwriter, D. Goode is not new to performing onstage either. He has already performed with and written for a variety of songbirds. He has opened for major artists including: Trey Songz, Floetry, Goapele, and Jon B. and has worked in the studio alongside Wyclef Jean. His most prized moment is when he received his first song placement: “I wrote Day 26’s single, “Come With Me”, on their debut album, Day 26, on Bad Boy Records. This song is played on MTV and my name is in the credits. It’s like having a trophy that no one can take away. I can only get better from this point on, D. Goode proudly remarks.” With his recent song submissions to Diddy and Cassie and a performance for the Power Live Concert Series at BB Kings there is more on deck to solidify D. Goode as an established songwriter and upcoming artist.
These days D. Goode is focused on his artistry and working on his own material. He is influenced by his real-life experiences and the happenings of those around him. He comments: “Life is full of trials and tribulations—loving, living, and laughing. Writing songs are all about storytelling and not all songs are going to be fluff and fantasy. Sometimes the thoughts will be raw but they will always be based on a real foundation. You have to live a bit to really get the best songs,” comments D. Goode. His music is not your typical R&B. “I think I cross a lot of boundaries in the R&B genre. I attack my songs with the aggressive nature of a rapper, but the finesse and seamless deliver of a singer. What I’m saying in my music is what the next person is thinking but may be afraid to say or not understand how to express it.”
In the past, he put two projects out on his own. The first being a mixtape of original songs entitled, This is the New School, and the second, an album of original songs, Listen Up. His style is one of smooth deliver, lyrical substance and true soul. D. Goode is currently working with Producer Chris Styles of Dangerous LLC, who has worked with Christina Aguilera, Mya, 50 Cent, Jim Jones, and Lloyd Banks. D. Goode is open to being courted by major record labels, but in the meantime he plans to stay in the studio and work on created a classic R&B album.
The sky is the limit for D. Goode. He has a few artists that he would like to collaborate with in the future. “I would love to work with Jamie Foxx, Jazmine Sullivan and Trey Songz to start.”
He also has some words for future fans of D. Goode’s music. “I would like to tell new fans of my music, “thank you for joining and thank you for listening.” As a true artist from the core of his soul D. Goode is always going to give his best effort in providing quality music that R&B lovers of all ages can respect and enjoy. “I’m always going to write music from my heart that is a genuine reflection of the things that we all are going through. My lyrics will always speak to our emotions as human beings.”
Whether we love, hate, laugh, cry or find ourselves somewhere in between, D. Goode will continue creating songs that express just how we feel.
For more information on D. Goode, please go to MySpace (www.myspace.com/dbgoode), YouTube (www.youtube.com/dgoodefans), and Twitter (dgoodemusic).
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