By Sandra Varner

Music lovers look no further: The Ultimate Gift, Rahsaan Patterson’s fifth and latest album — just in time for the holidays — is a winner.

    All too often conveniently categorized as a neo-soul artist, Patterson’s full range of vocal talents are too vast to box him into any particular grouping. Taking full advantage of his gospel roots and urban flair coupled with a global nuance, the former child star (Kids Incorporated) delights the attentive ear.
    The Brooklyn native is equally as comfortable belting out melodious love songs as he is rifting a jazz mélange infused with scats and runs. Patterson takes his place among the greats including Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and others. Compare him if you will, but rest assured, he’s a stand-alone act and the best is yet to come.
    I recently sat with Patterson in Dallas for an exclusive interview.
Sandra Varner: Describe the essence of Rahsaan Patterson as a performer and an artist — more specifically, your voice and your contribution to the music industry.
Rahsaan Patterson: “The essence of me as a performer … I think the essence of me as a performer is simply being able to express who I am, honestly, in whatever mode or thought of emotion I may be in. The essence of what I do — in my opinion — is always an expression of art, and I don’t know any other way to be than artistic, because that’s just who I am, and it’s all a reflection of the person that I am.”
Varner: Your sound and music style are often if not always categorized as neo-soul; for many, they bring their own interpretation to that description. How do you define neo-soul and do you think it limits you by being described as such, or is it accurate?
Patterson: “I think to an extent it’s limiting. As a singer and an artist who enjoys creating all kinds of music, whatever genre it may be, I understand how the term came about and how it sticks for some people. I understand how it made more sense for me as an artist on my first album than now. I understand that the concept is really a throwback to an era or a time when music and singers like Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway or Marvin Gaye were in the mainstream and very popular. So, at the time of making my first album along with the other artists like D’Angelo, Maxwell and others, it reminded people of, let’s say, our parents’ generation of artists. So in that sense I understand where the ‘neo’ concept came from; after that, for me, it became limiting, but I accepted it in the regard that if it reminds people of artists who were popular and made strong songs and strong music during a certain timeframe. I understand that.”

Read the full interview at www.Talk2SV.com.

Coming soon: Sandra Varner interviews Viola Davis, Pete Escovedo, Angela Bassett and Jeffrey Katzenberg.