::UP CLOSE & PERSONAL:: Rahsaan Patterson-Bluephoria

We caught up with Rahsaan Patterson after his first performance at Ram’s Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD. Rahsaan gave us a nice present for Christmas, with the release of his Christmas cd. He will be releasing a new cd, Bluephoria in 2011. BIG thanks to Frank Sheffield of S.E.I. Entertainment and Edith Williams for photos.

Shani: Rahsaan, that was a great show!

Rahsaan: Thank you so much!

Shani: So, the cd is called Bluephoria. How did you come up with that name?

Rahsaan: It just kind of came to me. In one aspect, it’s what you see when you see a picture of the world in shots of the world from outer space. It’s all that is encompassed in the world; us, the countries, the people, the spirits, religions, all that stuff. It’s kind of hard. Life can be hard, but it’s all we have. There’s still a euphoria there with love, sex, and intimacy and all the pleasures of the world kind of induce a euphoria. In one aspect that’s what it means.

Shani: So, you say one aspect.

Rahsaan: Yes, one aspect. There’s always many layers. It’s also about love. Love for me resonates the color blue. It’s normally equated to red, the heart and all that. To me, it’s blue and deep.

Shani: Speaking of the world, your web site has “Not Of This World”. What’s up with that?

Rahsaan: Well, that kind of came because the creative juice and instinct seems to come from somewhere else.

Shani: So, you’re just channeling it in?

Rahsaan: Very much so.

Shani: You performed your new single tonight, ”Easier Said Than Done”.

Rahsaan: Yes, I did. It’s on Itunes and Amazon.com if anyone wants to go get it.

Shani: Your last cd, Wine and Spirits was released in 2007. What have you been up to for the past few years?

Rahsaan: I have been living life and experiencing life and love. All of that gives you something to write about, it gives you something to say and share for another album. You have to take the time to live and go through something in order to have something to share that is new.

Shani: One of your fans, a tweetheart named @KrisLamontSoul sent me a question to ask you. He said, “You have been singing since you were a kid. When did you embrace the uniqueness of your voice?

Rahsaan: Wow! I’m probably still doing that. (Rahsaan laughs.) As I’m singing, it’s not really a thought, it’s just instinctive. I don’t have to embrace it at those moments, but if I listen to myself, I am still embracing it.

Shani: So, what other cities will the tour visit?

Rahsaan: Well, this is kind of like spot dates. We go to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow, but when the album comes out in May we will do more shows.

Shani: What is your web site?

Rahsaan: The web site is www.rahsaanpatterson.com or www.not-of-this-world.com . If you are on Twitter, you can follow me @mynameis2long and Rahsaan Patterson on Facebook.