Emmanuel Carlos St. Omer On the Making Of ‘Radical Son - Back to Roots’
How does 'Radical Son - Back to Roots' reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?
ECSTO: ‘Radical Son – Back to Roots’ for me is like coming full circle as an Artist and a Songwriter. Growing up in St. Lucia, West indies where I was born, I was exposed to many genres of music from a young age. The hits coming out of the UK and the US took precedence over the local and regional tunes out of Trinidad and Jamaica especially. So, while I had a desire to understand and emulate the techniques of Rock, Pop, RnB, Christian & Instrumental, which I have done with a good degree of satisfaction (view Emmanuel Carlos St.Omer on Spotify), I always wished to create my own journey along the pathways of artists such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh whose messages in songs, touched, moved, and shaped lives in positive and conscious ways. ‘Radical Son – Back to Roots’ has done just this for me. It has allowed me to present to the world my take on Reggae music with relatable and though provoking lyrics. A labor of love, and a dream come true.
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of 'Radical Son - Back to Roots?'
ECSTO: Listening to Peter Tosh’s “Fools die for want of wisdom” & “Pick myself up” inspired me to take a crack at writing songs through observant eyes of one who lives a conscious, down to Earth life. That’s how “Jah the Mastermind”, 1st. song I started writing for the album was born. However, halfway through writing the song, I got the terrible news that a close friend of mine was gunned down in a drive-by shooting. I had just seen and spoken to him hours before. It took me less than an hour to write “Another name in Heaven’s Journal” because of the shock and pain it caused me. Later, I found out that my friend was set up by those whom he trusted and so I also wrote “Iron sharpens Iron” which refers to friends raising up instead of bringing down friends.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for 'Radical Son - Back to Roots?'
ECSTO: As a matter of fact, yes a few. Since I don’t suffer from the stagnancy mental block can cause, one time when I got stuck for lyrics while writing “Iron sharpens iron’, I remembered my visit a few years ago, to Bob Marley’s house in Kingston Jamaica, the place where assassins attempted to take him out. The most striking thing I could remember about his bedroom, was an open Bible on his bedside table, the source of inspiration for many of his songs. So, I opened my Bible to find relevant quotes I could use for me song and they worked flawlessly. When I wrote “Good Woman” it was my interpretation of the caliber of woman Marley wrote about in “No woman no cry”. And when I wrote “it’s still a Wonderful World”, instead of being stumped for ideas and wasting studio time, I reflected on past iconic greats such as Martin Luther King, John Lennon, Louis Armstrong, and Paul McCartney to name a few, for inspiration.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
ECSTO: I partly answered this question previously, but honestly, it’s the toughest and saddest question to answer. Prior to 2018, I was what you might call an occasional writer, releasing one or two good original songs per year. On January 20th. of that year, I lost my 18-year-old son Brandon in a car accident and that opened an ocean of heart wrenching pain I never knew before. I could have drowned that time, but instead it ignited in me, emotions, inspiration, and numerous songs thereafter. My musical ideas come from the library of music imbedded within my memory and soul. ‘Radical Son – Back to roots’ is my favorite project, but I’ve also experimented with multiple genres, of which instrumental music is my second best. I usually prefer to write from experience because it’s quicker, easier and definitely more accurate.
What has been the most memorable experience or achievement in your music career so far?
ECSTO: There have been some memorable moments, like the time my song “Blame Me” was awarded the Song of the week on Belta Radio in the UK; Being the first double finalists in the Commonwealth Song Contest; Collaborating with Billboard #1 charting Kenny Lamb (Justin Timberlake, NSync, Take 5), during a visit to Nashville; Cutting Crew (I just died in your arms tonight) covering one of my songs; Winning 1st. place in the Christian Category of the Great American Song Contest, with my song “Covered”; Reaching the semi-finals of the FMC (Film Music Contest) in Europe with 2 of my instrumental pieces. Having songs featured on 14 compilation albums: Releasing 10 albums of original music on all leading sales and streaming platforms since 2018.
