A.J. CROCE – AN ARTIST SPOTLIGHT AND IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW
By Ralph Beauchamp
Artist, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, A.J. Croce is on a mission. He just released his latest full length entitled Heart of the Eternal. The new album is full of memorable surprises. Songs like “I Got A Feeling” bring out the funk. Croce’s vocals are brazen with supersized inflections while the arrangement is sublime. Co-written with John Oates, the ballad “Reunion” is refined with swirling keys and spellbinding textures. “The Finest Line” featuring Margo Price is a testament to A.J. Croce‘s superb songwriting
Another track that highlights Croce‘s adventurous stylings is “Complications of Love”. The Latin infused tune is wonderfully crafted with edgy intonations and seductive vocals. In fact, every song on Heart of the Eternal has its own feel and demands attention. Croce‘s bold flair is unmistakable. His lyrics are personal and he is truly an accomplished wordsmith. The songs are honest and intimate reflections of Croce‘s inner musings. And what beautiful reflections they are.
A.J. is also ready to rekindle his Croce Plays Croce tour where his celebrates the music of his beloved father, Jim Croce. The tour starts this September and A. J. will play select songs of his father’s intermixing songs from the new album. These dates should not be missed.
A.J. Croce was kind enough to sit with AMP for this in-depth interview.
AMP: Your music is truly genre-bending. What is one word that best describes your music?
A. J.: Soulful. Whether describing my style of writing or playing, when someone asks me what kind of music I play, I say soul music.
AMP: Your new album is entitled, Heart of the Eternal. Do you feel it’s an evolution in musical style from your previous material?
A. J.: I feel that when it comes to my recording career, I’ve tried to continually evolve. That said, in hindsight, I think my albums might be best thought of as trilogies. My first three albums, while drawing from many styles and genres, live in the same world. Then there was the fourth which was an outlier and then my next three went into new territory, and again with the next three. Heart Of The Eternal is the beginning of a new trilogy.
AMP: What’s your creative process like?
A.J.: Creativity is an exercise. Regardless of whether I’m composing instrumental pieces or writing lyrics, nothing is precious. That is to say, by doing it everyday, by practicing, you learn how to say old things in new ways. At this point in music the biggest challenge is similar to a brides mantra of something old, something new…
AMP: What kind of themes do you try to embed in your songs?
A.J.: Universal themes are critical. There are two basic approaches I see in songwriting. One is conversational, the other metaphorical. Either way you need to keep the story simple and/or relatable.
AMP: So, your father was the legendary Jim Croce. How was it growing up with such a creative force?
A.J.: I don’t know how to answer this with a simple soundbite. Celebrity is a psychologically complicated subject, most of all for everyone but the person experiencing it. I love my father’s music, and have worked hard (behind the scenes) for nearly 30 years to make sure his legacy is well represented and heard around the world. In the last few years I started performing Croce Plays Croce, which is a very personal celebration of my father music, my music and the music of our mutual influences. It’s been truly cathartic.
AMP: A perfect segue, you will be on the road once again with your Croce Plays Croce tour. Which of your father’s tracks do you enjoy playing the most?
A.J.: The most special part of this concert for me is when about halfway into the show, I take requests. People shout out all of the deep cuts and the hits alike. I know all of them, so playing what people came to hear makes me happy
AMP: Besides your father, who were some of your early inspirations?
A.J.: Ray Charles was my gateway drug. He could play any genre of song and was always himself. That’s what I wanted to do. Soul, Rock & Roll, Jazz Blues, Country, Folk, Gospel, Classical. I am a serious music fan and have been a record collector since I was young. I don’t think you can create something new without knowing what came before you.
AMP: Is there a current artist you would love to collaborate with and why?
A.J.: Cecile McLorin Salvant is brilliant and has similarly diverse tastes as me, so Cecile, if your reading this, let’s create something amazing. I would also love to collaborate with Brittany Howard. She’s uniquely talented and always soulful.
AMP: What’s the best advice you ever received from another artist?
A.J.: T-Bone Burnett told me never to read about myself. That was when we were recording my first album, and to this date I haven’t read anything about myself. I guess if you know who you are, you don’t need to read about who a stranger thinks you are.
“Cowboy” Jack Clement gave me some great advice when I was 17 and playing piano for him. He said nobody in the music business buys records, so don’t take their advice too seriously. That was part of Jack’s 10 rules of songwriting. The others that stuck from that list were “write the best song you can” followed by “write the worst song you can”. These relate back to an earlier question about my process.
AMP: Where do you see yourself five years down the road?
A.J.: I’ve been touring since 1990 (at first with B.B. King), and while I’ve had a bit of success, I’ve never felt confident that the next tour or album would find the same or even a greater audience. My goal in the next five years is to make that happen. I want to develop a fan base that’s engaged and ready to go on a new musical adventure with me every night.
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