RICHARD KINCAID INVITES THE WORLDTO CELEBRATE A ‘MAGIC HOLIDAY’!
CLASSICALLY TRAINED CHICAGO BASED VOCAL POWERHOUSE AND PHILANTHROPIST
VIBES WITH A BATCH OF THE WINDY CITY’S TOP MUSICAL TALENT
TO CREATE AN ECLECTIC ‘MOSAIC’ OF HIS LIFE ON
HIS SOON TO BE RELEASED NEW ALBUM
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Kincaid’s Critically Acclaimed Debut Single “Magic Holiday”
Written and Produced by The Singer’s Multi-Talented Musical Partner
David Taylor II—Catapults To #33 On The FMQB AC40 Chart
“Magic Holiday” is more than Richard Kincaid’s enchanting breakthrough single—it’s a full-on celebration of a classically trained vocalist finally having the guts to leave the corporate treadmill behind for good and return—critical accolades for his powerhouse pipes in tow—to his first love.
Caught up in the whirlwind of C-level madness (being CFO, COO and finally CEO) at Equity Office Properties Trust–the largest publicly traded office real estate company in the U.S.–the Chicago based singer (www.richardkincaidmusic.com) thought back fondly on his many years of soloing at church, charming diners as a singing waiter, studying classical voice, performing arias, and, during high school and college, starring in classic musicals like “Brigadoon,” “Oklahoma,” “Carousel” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
Developing financial, technology and integration strategies, Kincaid spent years keeping company with some of the country’s top financial and corporate brass. With the release of “Magic Holiday”—penned and produced by Kincaid’s multi-talented musical partner David Taylor II—Kincaid has found a much hipper crowd to hang with: My Chemical Romance, The Band Perry, Lifehouse, P!nk and Katy Perry.
Those are the superstars currently surrounding him on the FMQB AC40 Chart. Its title a self-fulfilling prophecy, “Magic Holiday,” the #2 added track of the week, just made the leap to #33. Kincaid had some cool company in the studio as well; the song features backing vocals by famed singers Arnold McCuller and Kate Markowitz, both of whom have recorded and toured with James Taylor for years.
Acclaimed across the board by the AC Radio world, the track was chosen as a “pick” by FMQB, whose review perfectly captured the blend of majesty and inviting warmth of the single: “It’s like taking a trip back in time with this new seasonal release. ‘Magic Holiday’ takes the feel of the best classic Christmas standards and blends it with the updated production efforts of today. Writer/Producer David Taylor II captures the vocal performance of Richard Kincaid and delivers a gem of a holiday tune that will quickly gather up its share of airplay.”
The success of “Magic Holiday” is just a warm up for Kincaid’s upcoming full length album Mosaic, which features a eight powerfully produced cover songs (from a rousing gospel-tinged version of Elton John’s “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me” with McCuller and Markowitz to “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Tracks of My Tears”) and four Taylor originals. The tracking reflects a rich and fascinating array of Kincaid’s life experiences.
Fired by a blend of pop, jazz and blues influences, Mosaic features a backing band of some of The Windy City’s most prominent musicians: drummer Khari Parker (who has toured with Beyonce and is currently in the band on Rosie O’Donnell’s “The Rosie Show” on OWN); guitarist Chris Siebold (a member of Chicago’s highly acclaimed fusion ensemble Kick The Cat who has also played with jazz notables Patricia Barber and Howard Levy’s Acoustic Express); and keyboardist John Blesucci, who has played with everyone from Dennis DeYoung and Mel Torme to smooth jazz stars Nick Colionne and Steve Cole. Mosaic was engineered by Steve Weder.
Mosaic is a follow up to Kincaid’s 2010 debut Return, also produced by Taylor and featuring the same musicians. It is set to be released on Taylor’s label House of DT Records.
“The goal with Return was to create strong, interesting arrangements of great songs we liked that allowed me to express my full vocal range,” says the singer. “It was all about showing the potential and possibilities of what I can do as an artist and musical storyteller. We conceived Mosaic as a richer and expansive collection of 12 songs touching on more of my influences and having more variety in sound and tempo. Thematically, every song fits into the concept of a Mosaic of my life and musically, it has more sophisticated sonic elements and background vocals. There’s a recurring theme throughout and a strong balance of tempos.”
Taylor adds, “Richard’s growth as an artist from Return through Mosaic is extraordinary, but it’s also what a sophomore CD should be about, the ongoing evolutionary process and a powerful learning experience for both of us.” Taylor has been a key part of Kincaid’s musical story since the singer decided to turn his back once and for all on the corporate treadmill. When his company sold in 2007, he opted to pursue projects that really mattered to him, music and philanthropy. “I didn’t want to continue on autopilot,” he says. “I wanted to make a conscious decision about my life and I needed outlets for my passion that corporate life never provided me. I stepped back from the whole experience of being in that world and realized I wanted to go in a very different direction and start to pursue some of the dreams and aspirations I had when I was younger.
Kincaid started telling more people about his musical goals and asked his son’s guitar teacher if he knew a good vocal coach to work with. The teacher introduced him to his friend Taylor, a renowned voice teacher with two degrees and certificates in voice and music business. A true Renaissance man, Taylor has done music for commercials by numerous companies including Disney and McDonald’s and has done composing and music production for film, TV, video games, musical theatre and websites. He was part of the songwriting team for “Eye of the Storm,” an acclaimed civil rights musical about some of Dr. Martin Luther King’s contemporaries that ran at the Open House Theatre in Chicago. In addition to scoring “Mo Ye Premye,” a Cajun themed vampire film set in New Orleans, he has written for and helped develop the sound for numerous independent artists in a multitude of genres, including pop, R&B, gospel and hip-hop.
Kincaid and Taylor had instant musical chemistry which quickly developed into a dynamic full-fledged partnership. “When I am considering work with a new singer,” says Taylor, “I am very old school, insisting they sing a capella right in front of me instead of giving me a recording that might hinder their pure vocal talent. Richard opened his mouth for the first time and magic came out. He has a natural gift in terms of tone, shaping of the vowels, projection and articulation. From both a vocal coach perspective and as a producer and songwriter, I’m always looking for singers that are for real, who can stand and deliver the goods. It was clear to me that Richard had a bright future and it has been an honor to help him develop to this point as an artist. It’s always been about finding songs and creating arrangements and productions that showcase what Richard’s voice can do.”
Kincaid adds, “When we started to work together, I began to see so many new possibilities for music in my life. What really sold me on the idea that I could go from being a guy who loved to sing to being a full-fledged artist was David’s encouragement and his breadth of musical talent. Then we started to work with some of his great musician friends on the first project and I was hooked.”
As he set about to finally fulfill his long set aside creative dreams, Kincaid, struck by the altruism of folks he met in the non-profit world, embraced his philanthropic side and founded the BeCause Foundation (www.becausefoundation.org), a not for profit organization that combines documentary films and outreach campaigns to start and strengthen social movements. The documentaries the organization makes tackle such hot button issues as homelessness and healthcare, human rights in East Burma and sexual abuse of children. Titles include “The Bully Project” (set for release by The Weinstein Company in March), “Welcome To Shelbyville,” “Crossing Midnight” and “Alone No Love.”
Profits from the sale of “Magic Holiday” will be donated to the foundation, and Kincaid will continue to sing at various fundraisers as he gears up for the late winter release of Mosaic.
“Working on ‘Magic Holiday’ and Mosaic and doing various shows since the release of Return rekindled just how much I love singing and performing. I love the whole creative process from starting with a simple idea and and fleshing it out through making people happy when I’m up onstage. I’ve always said that of all the things I have done and been exposed to, singing is the most natural. I literally started singing at 18 months old, and I don’t think it’s too cliché to say that I’ve now come home. It’s a part of my life I didn’t realize I missed so much until I began focusing on it like I am now.”
