Drew Schultz

Als je van soul houdt dan ken je de pure Motown hits "Don't walk away", "Reach out, I'll be there", en It's "The Same Old Song". We hebben het natuurlijk over de legendarische band 'The Four Tops'. Halverwege de jaren zestig begonnen aan hun muzikale carriere, en succesvol tot begin jaren tachtig.

Nu, twintig jaar later, weet producer Drew Schultz de Tops met één geluids-demo te overtuigen om als gast te verschijnen op Drew's album 'Back to Class', waarop onder meer ook Spyder Turner, Melvin Davis en Kyle Allen zich laten horen. Resultaat; ONGELOFELIJK! Alsof je in een tijdmachine stapt!

Schultz vertelde in een interview dat Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Ronnie McNeir, Lawrence Payton Jr, en Spike DeLeon, aka The Four Tops, de studio binnen stapte, met z'n vieren rond één microfoon gingen staan, en alle vocalen in één take opnamen! "Close Harmony" van de bovenste plank, en niks geen pitch-correctie, alles live!

Met veel plezier presenteren we pure Motown sound op Amsterdam Funk Channel. Je hoort de song "Crying in a whisper" het hele weekend, ieder uur! - Amsterdam Funk Channel

A Cleveland native, drummer Drew Schultz has nothing but positive things to say about the Shaker Heights public schools he attended before graduating and going on to study jazz performance for drummers at NYU. “Shaker Heights public schools have one of the best music programs I’ve ever seen,” says Schultz, who has spent the last couple of years drumming for the Motown group the Four Tops. “My parents are both musicians,” he says, adding that his mother is in the No Name Band, a group of lawyers and judges that rehearsed in his basement. “I was always messing around with her drum kit and started lessons in third grade.”

Schultz says he was always into funk and R&B so when the Four Tops came to New York while he was at NYU, he met the band and then started playing with them after their conductor George Rountree asked him to play hand-percussion with the group. When the Four Tops’ drummer retired, Rountree pushed him into becoming their full-time drummer in 2009 and Schultz then moved to Detroit. While the Four Tops just play their hits, Schultz started to write songs of his own and now is about to release his debut, Back to Class. For the album, Schultz recruited a slew of guests including Spyder Turner, who sang on the 1967 hit version of “Stand by Me,” and funk Brother Dennis Coffey. He’s planning to donate a portion of the proceeds to the Detroit public schools music programs. “Detroit is in a bad situation and the arts programs are getting cut. I want to do something good for the schools. It’s a self-serving but also charitable project.” The album is due out Sept. 1 and will be available at all the regular digital outlets. Find more info at dsdrums.com. - Cleveland Scene Online

Back to Class is a fitting title for drummer and percussionist Drew Schultz’s debut CD, as he looks more like a college professor than a writer and producer of classic-styled Soul songs. But he proves the old maxim that one should definitely not judge a book by its cover.

Benefiting the band programs of the Detroit Public School system, Back to Class came to fruition after Schultz, who studied at The Berklee College of Music in Boston and Jazz at New York University, spent a year honing his song writing skills before moving to Detroit to tour with the legendary Four Tops. Originally intending to record his own compositions, Schultz opted instead to write for the very artists with whom he was working.

Back to Class is very much a tribute to the sound of Motown, overflowing with delightful melodies and clean-cut funk numbers. Schultz not only composed and produced the majority of the songs, with additional horn arrangements by renowned keyboardist McKinley Jackson, but also drafted in an abundance of musical legends to helm is debut effort. The roster of participants includes Northern Soul favourite Pat Lewis, former Funk Brothers member Dennis Coffey, and Ken Knox of Chairmen of The Board, who adds his vocal magic to the Invictus sounding, “So Many Fish in the Sea.”

Also worthy of mention are the easy flowing and almost stately “Sometimes,” sung by the sublime voice of Rob Carter, and the two-stepper and doo-wop sounding “Not Enough,” featuring golden voiced Ronnie McNeir sound-alike, Chris Ams.

Schultz’s epic soul sonnet finally reaches its closure with two songs featuring his musical idols, The Four Tops. “Crying in a Whisper,” the first song recorded for this project and its leadoff single (with lone remaining original Tops member Duke Fakir at the lead), is a glorious and cheerful, horn-drenched affair that dances in the memory long after the finger clicks and gorgeous guitar fills have ebbed away. Whilst the irresistibly catchy “What I’d Do for You” is reminiscent of The O’Jays' “Used to Be My Girl,” with Tops member Ronnie McNeir taking the lead with his sumptuous and unmistakeable voice .

While Back to Class may not appeal todays R&B paramours, it will successfully take mature audiences back in time to a place where glorious harmonies and joyous melodies once reigned supreme. And it is happily ironic that this enjoyable, nostalgic trip is led by the college student Schultz, who may be too young to have experienced the Motown era real time, but shows he has both a keen sense of musical history and strong craftsmanship as a musician. Highly recommended.

By Garry Moran
- SoulTracks Online

Drew Schultz is a new recording artist in the scene. He just released his debut album 'Back To Class'. But is Drew new on the scene? Appearantly not. Drew worked, and toured, as drummer, percussionist and substitute conductor with the legendary Motown group 'The Four Tops' for over five years. He also performed with other artists including The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, The Dramatics, The Contours, The Miracles, Chairmen of the Board, Harold Melvin’s Bluenotes, The Velvelettes, and many more.

Buy This CD From CDBABY Now! His debut record, “Back to Class,” is a benefit project for the music programs of the Detroit Public Schools that celebrates classic soul music and musicians, and marks his own academic return to New York University’s jazz performance program. The record is made up of 16 songs that Drew wrote, arranged, produced, and performed, with special guests: The Four Tops, Members of The Funk Brothers, Dennis Coffey, Ken Knox of Chairmen of the Board, Lenny Pickett of Saturday Night Live / Tower of Power, Melvin Davis, Spyder Turner, Rob Carter of Nature's Divine, Pat Lewis, James Jamerson, Jr., Turhan (Earl Van Dyke Jr.) and many others.

On his youtube page Drew tells, a lot, about his new project. Every track is passing the revue with great anecdotes and stories. (click on Back To Class) I can't do it better.

'Back To Class' is a great produced soul abum. This album couldn't fail with the great artists that are involved.

My favorite tracks are 'Not Enough', 'Shipwrecked', and 'Jamo'. - SoulAndFunkMusic Online