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Andreus - great album, lets concentrate on that first, though I get the feeling that if we do we'll find things out about you anyway? The album is hard deep provocative and heavy yet sweet, a concept album yes? But the truth.. how does it fit in with your life or your background.
It is a concept album of sorts with some semi-autobiographical elements. It's has a soundtrack quality with the intro and the songs that follow all being pieced together to tell a story of a troubled home life (Daddy Please)which leads to bad things in the streets (Bastard Child, Hustla's Theme, For The Love of Money) into world observations (Sweet Land) to points of reflection (Mary Ann, Mississippi) and finally into hope for a better day (Hey Young World, Child of Life). I just wanted to tell the story of the streets, good and bad, from the perspective of a Street Troubadour.

Such concepts have been a rare thing in the Soul world, although such comment is predominant in hip hop. There's hip hop and hip hop credibility in there of course. How's the album going down at home.

Although, the album hasn't been released officially in the States (We're still looking for U.S. distribution deal) People who have heard the album, most of whom are from the streets, love the album. I think it resonates
because they can relate to the themes, and it's also different from the status quo currently on commercial radio.

It seems to me that hip hop would maybe sample old skool but you have brought in a complete old skool feel to the album. Would you agree with that. Obviously Curtis will be mentioned, but the feel and the sound is very Curtis, and very Chicago. He must have been a big influence....and who else.

I grew up on Hip-Hop, actually I was into Hip-Hop (Producing and Rhyming)before I started singing. But, I also grew up on the classics that my mother would play around the house; Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Curtis
Mayfield, Bob Marley etc.... So, there are elements of both of those influences. Classic Soul, with a message, over hip-hop beats.

Tell me about how you put the album together, how you write the songs....how long did it take. Hustla's Theme and Mississippi are standout for me.

The album was recorded pretty quickly (about three weeks) because I had done some pre production before hitting the studio. I knew how the album was going to be pieced together musically, and even knew the titles and themes of the songs, but most of the actually lyrics came organically during the actually recording process.

It's pretty much all you......anybody else feature largely.

And how did you hit with Dome. It's a bit different for them.

The Dome situation came about though a series of events. Some how this girl, I think her name was Linnete, found my website (www.andreusmusic.com) and told some of the folks at Soul24-7.com about my music. One of DJ's, Chris Wells, liked the material and started playing the single we had put out independently, "Mississippi", and eventually wrote an article in ECHOES magazine. My manager, Eric Parris, sent several copies of the single to this guy at Expansion, and one of the copies landed on Peter Robinson's desk at
Dome. The rest is history as they say.

Are you gigging to promote or otherwise - we gonna see you this side?

I'm rehearsing with a band now, and we are planning to do a show in London early next year.

Who do you like both currently and in the past, I hear your big into hip hop.

I like Lauryn Hill, in fact "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill", was an inspiration for my album because it showed that people were ready for music with a message. I also like D'Angelo and Lewis Taylor.

And your homelife, you're Chicago born and your parents were musicians? What kind of things did they do.

Anybody else from Chicago we should be looking out for. Anybody in Chicago that you have worked with that we might now.