Source: Jon Kopaloff / Getty
4x GRAMMY®-nominated R&B singer, ERIC BENÉT, released his self-titled, eighth studio album, eric benét, in North America today, a week before his 50thbirthday (October 15). The 13-track album was recorded and produced in Los Angeles and includes a remix of the first single, “SUNSHINE.” The remix is a reunion between Eric and R&B sensation, Tamia, who was also featured on Eric’s #1 hit, “Spend My Life With You.”
One of R&B’s premiere online platforms, You Know I Got Soul, describes the eric benét album as “…a diverse collection of musical styles delivered with the confidence of a music vet. Benét is confident enough in his abilities to create an album on his terms – mature, soulful and true to his core sound.”
“I really wanted this album to be pure R&B, without any attempt to be anything other than completely authentic and creative,” said Benét. “For the first time in my career, I feel like it sums me up so well creatively, and I did it on my own terms and in my own time. So it seemed very appropriate to self-title the album. It confirms that I’m really about live instrumentation, many different influences, issues that are real and personal to me, and lyrics that are vulnerable and honest. I think my fans have come to expect that from me, and that’s definitely what this album is bringing.”
“SUNSHINE,” Eric’s hot lead single, was released on May 13, and has been climbing the radio charts since, reaching #2 at Urban/AC Radio this week. “SUNSHINE” also earned accolades by topping Mediabase and Radio & Records ‘Most Added’ lists for three consecutive weeks after its release. In April, Billboard gave fans a sneak peak of the track, saying the song has a “feel-good groove.” When asked about the single, Eric said, “‘Sunshine’ is a reflective memory about a relationship that has lost its spark, with a longing for how love-filled and joyous their lives used to be. The song will hopefully inspire people to actively create and savor the joy and sunshine in every one of their relationships.”
Eric will be performing songs from his new album, eric benét, on the road with Anthony Hamilton and Lalah Hathaway this month. Hamilton’s “What I’m Feelin'” tour kicked off last night, October 6, in Durham, and will span the east coast, hitting D.C., Baltimore, Detroit, Nashville, New Orleans and more, before wrapping in Richmond on October 30. All tour dates are listed below, and tickets are available at ticketmaster.com.
eric benét TRACK LISTING:
Can’t Tell You Enough
Sunshine
Insane
Cold Trigger
Home
Holding On (ft. MC Lyte)
Fun and Games
Run To Me (ft. Arturo Sandoval)
Floating Through Time
Broke Beat and Busted
That Day
Never Be The Same (Luna’s Lullaby)
Sunshine Remix (ft. Tamia)
TOUR DATES:
October 6 – Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
October 7 – Charleston, SC – N. Charleston Performing Arts Center (*postponed*)
October 8 – Washington, DC – Constitution Hall
October 9 – Baltimore, MD – Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric
October 13 – Louisville, KY – Palace Theatre
October 14 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
October 15 – Cincinnati, OH – Aronoff Center for the Arts
October 16 – Augusta, GA – Bell Auditorium
October 20 – Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre
October 21 – Nashville, TN – Municipal Auditorium
October 22 – Chattanooga, TN – Soliders & Sailors Memorial Auditorium
October 23 – New Orleans, LA – Lakefront Arena
October 27 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center for the Performing Arts
October 28 – Jacksonville, FL – Moran Theater
October 29 – Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium
October 30 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
FOLLOW ERIC BENÉT:
Facebook: EricBenetMusic
Twitter: @ebenet
Instagram: @ericbenet
ABOUT ERIC BENÉT:
R&B crooner, songwriter and actor, Eric Benét, released his eighth studio album on October 7, 2016. Eric’s most recent CD, THE ONE, the first album released on Benét’s label, Jordan House Records, in 2012, was created in partnership with EMI. “Real Love” was the first single from the CD and was the #1 added song to Urban AC when it shipped to radio in October 2011. In 2013, THE ONE won Benét the SoulTracks Readers’ Choice Award for Best Male Vocalist. The album delivered three hits including ‘Runnin,’ ‘Real Love,’ and ‘Harriett Jones.’ Benét released an international album in 2014, THE OTHER ONE, with the European production collective, The Afropeans, to revisit his 2012 album THE ONE. He released an album exclusively distributed in Japan: FROM E TO U, VOL. 1; an album of classic cover songs. In April 2014, Benét joined Primary Wave as A&R Chief for their Urban AC Division. He signed R&B singer-songwriter Calvin Richardson and Goapele to his Jordan House imprint along with BMG/Primary Wave Music to release their upcoming albums in the US. Eric Benét was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for “Best Traditional R&B Performance” for his single “Sometimes I Cry.” Benét was also nominated for a 2011 Soul Train Award for “Best Male R&B/Soul Artist.” Eric married Manuela Testolini on July 31, 2011 and they had their first baby together in December 2011, Lucia Bella, and their second, Amoura Luna, in July 2015. He also has a mid-20-year-old daughter, India, from a prior relationship with longtime girlfriend, Tami Marie Stauff, who tragically died in a car accident, which left Eric as a single father to India when she was one-year-old. India is very musically gifted, and is pursuing her own path in the music world. Eric Benét grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 70s as the youngest of five musically talented siblings. He signed with Warner Bros. Records, releasing his debut solo album, TRUE TO MYSELF in 1996. His 1999 album, A DAY IN THE LIFE, featured his smash hit “Spend My Life With You (ft. Tamia),” which rose to #1 on the US Billboard R&B chart, was certified gold, and nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.” The album also won a Soul Train Music Award for “Best R&B/Soul Album, Male.” Benét released his next studio album, HURRICANE on June 21, 2005 on Friday Records, which featured “I Wanna Be Loved” that reached #2 on the UAC chart. His fourth album LOVE & LIFE was released on September 9, 2008, debuting at #11 on Billboard 200 and #2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album featured fan-favorite “Chocolate Legs” and his hit single “You’re The Only One,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best R&B Male Performance.” In 2010, Eric released his fifth album, LOST IN TIME, featuring duets with Faith Evans, Chrisette Michelle, Ledisi, and Eddie Levert; along with his single “Sometimes I Cry,” which reached # 1 on the Hot Adult R&B Songs Chart. Benét is also active as an actor, appearing in “The Real Husbands of Hollywood” with Kevin Hart. He starred in his first lead role in the feature film “Trinity Goodheart” with Erica Gluck, which premiered at the American Black Film Festival in 2011. Eric had a recurring role on the TV show For Your Love (1998-02) and made his film debut alongside Mariah Carey in Glitter (2001).
