User:Kbhester/sandbox

Background
Born Charles Ray Wiggins in Oakland, California Raphael Saadiq branched out from local performances and launched his professional music career as a bass player for Sheila E touring with Prince’s Lovesexy promotion in Japan at the age of seventeen. Saadiq went on to form the group Tony! Toni! Toné! with his cousin Timothy Christian Riley and brother Dwayne Wiggins which brought him experience both as lead vocalist and bass player. Saadiq was also an original member of the group Lucy Pearl with Dawn Robinson and Ali Shaheed Muhammed, before moving on to become a producer and session player, and finally transitioning into a solo artist with the album Instant Vintage.

Release and promotion
With contributions from producers Jake and the Phatman and Raymond Murray, the album Instant Vintage was completed in approximately seven months and ready for release May 28, 2002 on the Pookie Entertainment/Universal Records label. According to Billboard, Universal planned a marketing tour which included stops in twelve major cities and ran from mid-May until mid-June of 2002. Saadiq was also scheduled to tour with Joi (singer) by manager Blue at Family Tree. Billboard quotes a Universal senior director of marketing stating that most of the promotion budget was spent on touring complemented by print marketing.

=Critical Reception=

Instant Vintage received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Unrated Magazine has claimed this album to be a peek into what funk and soul will be in the future. The album has made many critics compare him to musical legends like Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. Raphael's first solo album has also granted him a first time Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album, R&B Song, and Best Urban/Alternative. Ethan Brown of New York Magazine wrote about the albums immediate reception in Europe in contrast to the underwhelming response in the United States. Brown stated, “Vintage quickly found fans in Europe…the album was ignored by American critics...the record struggled to find an audience among R&B fans accustomed to teenage superstars.”

=Personnel= The following people are credited on the album:


 * Raphael Saadiq – vocals, guitar, bass
 * Kelvin Wooten – vocals, guitar, tuba, piano, organ, keyboards, drums, percussion
 * Leslie Wilson – vocals
 * Charles Veal – violin, strings
 * The South Central Chamber Orchestra – strings
 * Brandon Fields (musician) – tenor saxophone
 * Greg Adams (musician) – trumpet
 * Lee Thornburg – trumpet
 * Nick Lane – trombone
 * Marvin “Chanz” Parkman – keyboards
 * Jake and the Phatman – drums, percussion, scratches
 * Battlecat (producer) – drums
 * Randall Wiggins – background vocals
 * Traci Nelson – background vocals
 * Gerry Brown – audio mixer
 * Glenn Standridge – audio mixer
 * Daniel Romero – audio mixer
 * Tony Maserati – audio mixer
 * D’Angelo – vocals
 * Angie Stone – vocals
 * Calvin Richardson – vocals
 * T-Boz – vocals
 * Ray Murray - vocals