Red - 2005

Maverick Records approached me, while I was in rehearsal for the American Idol Season 3 Tour, about the possibility of recording an album.  I met with Steve Tyrell and David Foster at his house in Malibu, CA.  For this meeting, they told me to compile a list of tunes, both jazz standards & contemporary songs, that I would be interested in recording.  At this meeting we went through the list of over 700 songs that I had compiled, narrowing them down to the list that you see above.
 
When I was on tour with American Idol I received a call from Guy Oseri, the president of Maverick, asking me if I had ever heard of Erika Christensen.  Of course I had, being the movie nut that I am.  He proceeded to inform me that he had heard her sing and thought she would be a great addition to my album.  I agreed and am extremely happy with the result!
 
Recording "Red" was an amazing experience!  I was in my senior year of high school at the time so I would go to class during the week and then fly into NYC on the weekends to record.  Steve Tyrell took me under his wing and assisted me with phrasing and working around the great arrangements by Bob Mann.  We spent a great deal of time together in and out of the studio, working and chatting about his experiences.  
 
We received a call one day from the West Coast.  It was Guy Oseri and he had an idea.  His idea was for a slower balladic rendition of "This Love" by Maroon 5.  Within a week, Bob Mann had the arrangement completed and the next weekend I was recording it.  The album would be released with a 5 day appearance at Feinstein's Jazz Club at the Regency Hotel, NYC as well as my graduation from high school.  It was very exciting time of my life and I'm very grateful for this experience!