It’s been almost two decades since their last album, but with a little help from some very famous friends, soul stars The Stylistics are back with a new 21-track record that’s taking the veteran band in a surprising direction with new music that features elements of pop and even country sounds.
And some of the band members admit that even after nearly 60 years of making music, they’re a little nervous about this new sound.
“We have kind of an already set and established sound and we didn’t want to go too far off the beaten path. We figured what worked will continue to work and we didn’t want to lose our core audience. But we decided to take a chance on this project,” said Airrion Love, who along with fellow original member Herb Murrell and Jason Sharp, who joined the group in 2011, make up the smooth soul-signing R&B trio.
The Stylistics will be performing at The Wiltern on Jan. 11 prior to the Feb. 24 release of the new album “Falling in Love With My Girl,” which features collaborations with artists like Shania Twain, Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Gene Simmons of KISS, , Bill Champlin of Chicago, R&B and funk band Tower of Power and others. (Photo courtesy the band)
The group will be performing at The Wiltern on Saturday, Jan. 11 prior to the Feb. 24 release of the new album “Falling in Love With My Girl,” which features collaborations with artists like Shania Twain, Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Gene Simmons of Kiss, Bill Champlin of Chicago, R&B and funk band Tower of Power and others.
“We’re still here and we’re still able to learn and grow and I think it was time for a little change,” Love said during a phone interview from Japan where the band was performing their annual New Year’s Eve show.
Formed in Philadelphia in 1968 the group is known for smooth R&B hits like “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart),” “You Are Everything,” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New.”
“It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. I think we’ve slowed down a little bit but I don’t feel it until someone comes up with their kids and says they were conceived to one of our songs and their kids are 30 years old, that’s when reality sets in,” Love said with a laugh.
The first single, “Yes, I Will,” featuring Shania Twain, will be released on Feb. 14. It’s a bit of a country turn for the soul group, which is exciting for Love.
“I love the song with us and Shania Twain. I think that puts us in a different genre that we’ve never tried and we’ll see what happens with that,” he said.
Another new song that Love is particularly excited about is “Don’t Leave Me Here,” with Gene Simmons and Tower of Power.
“I love this song. The horns were Tower of Power and I love the sound. Everything we’ve ever done in the past was always orchestrated, strings and this and that. It was never a hard horn section and again that puts us in a different genre of music. If you listen to it no one would think it’s The Stylistics, but it kills, it’s a great track,” Love said.
While Love said the band plans on performing some of the new songs during the Jan. 11 show, the group shouldn’t be too worried about losing any longtime fans who can still expect an old school show from The Stylistics.
“Sure we’re going to push this album but our show can’t consist of all new material,” Love said.
The Stylistics
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11
Where: The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
Tickets: $63-$219
Information: wiltern.com