Disembodied Soulfulness is What Has Made Songwriter James Fauntleroy Such a Gift

James Fauntleroy wearing those mad scientist glasses.

Link of James mixing it up in the studio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x0BxAufH28

Ever wonder why Jordin Sparks sounded so elemental on “No Air” and why Chris Brown sounded so heroic on “Superhuman”? The answer is simple: James Fauntleroy. He’s the songwriter who makes anything he touches ethereal, as well as ghostly. The guy can write any kind of music, from R&B to Country. There's a lot about James Fauntleroy that suggests the purity and earnestness of a child. He has the cheeks of a baby and the smile of a Cheshire cat. He sings in a floating, otherworldly tenor, which contributes to his angelic charm. James writes songs of love like many songwriters, but he writes lyrics that transcend hackneyed song composition.

I always knew singer-songwriter James Fauntleroy was eclectic and could write any style of music to any beat, (he wrote a song called “Torn Down” for Brandy’s album, Human that has a subtle country vibe to it) yet still maintain his unique style, but it wasn’t until I heard his song, “Overhead” produced by hit country music songwriter/producer Luke Laird (the man behind Carrie Underwood’s “So Small”) that I knew James style was evolving. It’s no coincidence that most R&B singers and country singers come from religious Christian backgrounds based in the Southern states of America. With that said, God is a constant fixture of both R&B and Country and the presence of God gives each genre of music an organic quality, even if many of today’s R&B and country artists use a sizable dosage of reverb and studio effects on their vocals, the organic part might be only applicable to the ethos of the music. The music of Contemporary Country artists like Carrie Underwood is more pop-oriented in the way that Underwood’s vocals are slick, polished and melismatic, which makes her sound more like the Whitney Houstons and Mariah Careys. The more traditional idea of country music was that it was minimal, at times hokey and off-key. Country music producer/songwriter Luke Laird produced the sweeping midtempo, “Overhead” surprisingly sung by “No Air” songwriter James Fauntleroy. Fauntleroy primarily writes songs for R&B and pop artists—he wrote Jordin Sparks’ “No Air” and songs for Britney Spears, Brandy and Chris Brown—but now for the first time he’s worked with a country producer on a song that is recognizably country. The wobbly strings that sound like fiddle strings give “Overhead” a country vibe. Listening to “Overhead,” it’s assumed “overhead” refers to the almighty one above God who’s looking down on the world he created. During the bridge, James sings, “We try to find it in a backseat” (pickup trucks for all the country music lovers in cowboy boots and hats), “fast car on a long-end street/Put my hand to the ground/listen for the sound of a heartbeat…I found it in a blue sky.” Those lyrics are referencing nature and how people try to find God's presence within nature, as well as in human contact. The God theme of “Overhead” makes it a gospel song of sorts. The theme of nature and God also keeps in line with James’ overall musical style that is influenced heavily by the elements of the world.

James’ unique style consists of a use of dissonance existing in James’ often off-kilter singing and unconventional melodies. James’ off-kilter singing (not to be confused with off-key) is the product of dissonance. Dissonance consists of different melodies that are abrasive to each other if not timed correctly, but if timed perfectly, the different melodies will find a tonal common ground or connect at a harmonious chord. James’ voice moves with each chord of a song whether the chord goes up or down, so he’s fully aware of what chords to hit with his voice; this is the reason his voice stays in sync with the beat of a song.

Regardless of musical genre, most singers perform ad-libs, which James does very well. It’s not surprising that James is able to twist vocals in new directions since one of his main influences is R&B singer Brandy; like James, Brandy also uses dissonance in her singing and creates vocal arrangements together to form a richly textured composition. Ad-libs are arranged usually during choruses to add variation to the chorus melodies that tend to be repetitive without the addition of ad-libs. Choruses are meant to be repetitive for the purpose of sticking in listener’s heads, but songwriters create ad-libs that are of a different melody than the chorus to accomplish a sense of harmony. Just as in a four-part harmony where there are soprano, alto, tenor and baritone/bass parts, dissonant melodies combine together to form a harmony that is greater than the sum of its parts. Julie Andrews explained all of this very well when she taught the Van Trapp children “do re mi” in the film, The Sound of Music.

Even though most of James’ vocals have a bit of reverb effect applied to them, even without the reverb, James’ vocals would sound dissonant. Reverb is a recording studio effect that adds some elasticity and resonance to a vocal, which sometimes makes the voice float and echo. It’s a combination of the dissonance and the reverb that makes James’ voice sound disembodied, which then makes James’ voice sound atmospheric. The atmospheric quality of James’ vocals and lyrics defines James’ songs. The definition of nature is everything that exists on the earth except humans, which includes animals, water, air, oxygen and trees. The fact that James’ voice sounds disembodied fits perfectly with the idea of his voice being something that does not belong to a human, but instead to Mother Nature. James’ voice is not something that has a flesh-and-blood face, but something that floats through the atmosphere with the birds and buzzing around with the bees and hummingbirds. This atmospheric style is what makes James sound truly soulful simply because he sounds like what a soul is supposed to be: a collection of feelings, thoughts and actions that can never die.

The biggest hit song that James has written so far is Jordin Sparks’ “No Air,” which soars through the atmosphere flying above the windswept beaches and shining oceans like a good James Fauntleroy song should. When listening to “No Air,” one does get the feeling that they’re submerged underwater gasping for air (with all those huge ad-libs full of big, blasting high notes, anyone would be gasping for air, maybe that was the intention to stay true to the song’s title). It’s not until the bridge—which acts as a sort of resting period, even though Jordin and her duet partner Chris Brown are still singing during it—that Jordin and Chris seem to rise up from the water, and with all the new air they have to breathe, they can sing their lungs out. James’ demo of “No Air” is just as elemental as Jordin’s version, but with the ghostly, Enya-like quality of his vocals James’ version sounds more tranquil. James doesn’t have the bombastic Mariah Carey notes that Jordin has, but that’s what makes James’ demo original, like himself. Chris Brown has worked with James numerous times, including two of Brown’s singles, “Superhuman” and “Take You Down.” Again, “Superhuman” has listeners envisioning skies and people flying across the skies looking down at the world because a superhero like Superman flies with his red cape blowing in the wind. On “Superhuman,” Brown duets with Keri Hilson who is an accomplished songwriter like James who makes good use of her skillful vibrato.

Since the success of “No Air,” James Fauntleroy’s star has definitely risen. He was nominated for a 2009 Grammy for “No Air.” Recently, James made Britney Spears sound ethereal on “Mannequin” and wrote a song for Ciara and Justin Timberlake to out-dance each other to on “Love, Sex, Magic.” Music is said to be universal transcending race, gender and geography and this belief also goes for the versatile James Fauntleroy. From Youtube to Internet blogs, many people have commented that they often prefer James’ demos over the final recorded version by another artist. This is saying something. With such an elemental style, James could be the shaman who connects the visible world and the invisible spiritual world.