GentleMann by NeverMann is a sugar-coated nostalgic trip. It is soaked in the past, present, and future of love. The lyrics capture moments in time, and the vocals are delivered from the depths of loneliness, longing, passion, and excitement. It is stacked full with sax solos that string your consciousness along through time and guitar solos that cut right through the smoky air. One thing is for certain, the vocal melodies will take up residence in your mind. And they won’t leave for a while.
We connected with NeverMann to learn more about GentleMann. We asked what inspired the title, and he said, “I listened to a lot of R&B during the 80’s and 90’s, and there was a big focus on being a gentleman by some of the artists. That made an impact on me as a young kid and shaped how I tried to be as a teenager and adult.”
The cover art depicts a well dressed gentleman standing in a retro mall food court. The cover art was done by Jordan Noir. The artist placed a few items from the album in the image. NeverMann said, “It’s up to you all to figure them all out.” Look it over! See what you can find!
GentleMann opens with a city street ambience before sax fades in, and with all its brilliance and brightness, the sax completely envelops the entire experience. It sets a mood that is strung throughout the entire album.
“Jody” follows which features a sticky bass line and an attention demanding beat. It introduces synth and guitars with a hard edge, all against the backdrop of dance worthy pop. NeverMann told us, “Jody started out as a bass line, a beat and a title that I shared with OSC and he ran with it! The basic idea was a celebration of the funky side of late 80s/early 90s R&B.” There’s a bit more to this story, though. NeverMann added, “Jody is of course referring to the R&B diva Jody Watley. I’m not the first one to write a song about her.”
The early influence of R&B on NeverMann peeks through often, including on “All 4 U.” The vocals play their own rhythm like a solo dancer moving across the floor. “Andrea” draws you in with a melody that paints a picture, lyrics that roll through time, California road, cruising through my soul.
NeverMann said, “Andrea was the first song I made that really hit the spot with the NeverMann sound.” “Andrea” is a duet featuring Hilda Denny who plays the part of a girl waiting on one end of a phone while NeverMann plays the part of her lover racing to be by her side. NeverMann told us OSC brought Hilda’s parts to the front and center in the redux version so her part could shine.
Ever wonder why love was lost? “Used 2 B” plays on this emotion. There’s a touch of R&B flavor in the vocal delivery, which often alone carries the song. The chorus attaches to the heart, tugging a bit with the lyrics, Every time I’m walking past you, it’s strange how you used to be. And All my friends they ask about you, it’s strange how it used to be. My bed is dark and gray without you, it’s strange how we used to be. And I don’t even feel without you, it’s strange how I used to be. The song features a guitar solo that emerges from nothingness and cuts right through the loneliness. The loneliness is so thick, though, it beautifully mends itself thereafter.
There is no overcrowding on GentleMann. The beats, melodies, vocals, sax, and guitars all have their own space and stage for the light to shine birght. NeverMann shared how he approached writing the songs. “Some songs started as jamming sessions with me and Rickard [Bonde Truumeel] in his studio. Those songs had a base and a title ready in a few hours and then we shaped them over months later and then adding OSC and the other great musicians.” Some of those musicians added guitar and sax, which shine on NeverMann, including Anton Krutov on the sax Gabriel Forsman, Stefan Rosqvist and Kristian Larsen on guitars.
The unique soundscape on GentleMan is partially attributable to the collaborative effort to bring it together. NeverMann said he “tried to give Rickard, OSC and all the musicians as big of a creative freedom as I could, to let them bring their own ideas to the songs and show their talent.” The album is stamped with their mark. For example, NeverMann told us all the guitarists added different sounds to the different songs. He added, “I’m blessed to have such great people around me in this project!”
The album is incredibly melodic and lays out before you a spread of melodies you’ll catch yourself singing along to. NeverMann said, “I love coming up with beats and melodies. The choruses are almost always the first thing I’m finished with on most songs and then I’m stuck writing verses to work with the chorus and the sound of the song.” This writing style is noticeable in the unique structure of the songs on GentleMann, which adds to the intrigue of the songs.
“Cherry Baby” is one of those songs with an energetic melody and edge to match. It is a retrowave banger, without question. The emotion is so high, it feels one step ahead of you, pulling you along. You might just get chills listening to it.
“Sun Keeps Shining” is a duet which NeverMann described as his “Karate Kid beach scene song.” He said, “It’s about the shy looks given at the beach through neon Ray Bans and with a cup of 7up in hand.” The lyrics capture this moment perfectly, You’re the reason I keep my shades on girl, offered by NeverMann., and You’re the reason I keep my shades on boy, offered by JJ Mist. The song was built around an instrumental OSC developed. NeverMann brought JJ Mist on board who “knocked it out of the park with her soulful voice.” NeverMann added, “She’s amazing!!”
Love can be a rock when the rest of life is up in smoke, and “Celebrate” tells such a story with lyrics such as, Let’s celebrate the love tonight. No other thing can win this fight. And I know that your heart. Celebrate the world tonight.
NeverMann said, “Celebrate was an instrumental Rickard sent me that I wrote the melody and lyrics to. I wrote it as a reaction to the anger that’s all around us and the lack of consensus about what the human condition really is about, to work together and move forward. I feel the current state of discussion and discourse is only hurting us. Some people and critics try to give the retro scene a strange political stamp while I think most of us artists looking to the 80s and 90s only love the colors, sounds, synths and don’t want to go back in time to the politics of the 80s.” He added, “That’s not why I exist with my retro sound.”
The album closes with “Acquired Taste”, which is a melody that will linger in your ears for days to follow. It features a ballooning bass line and a tight, steady beat underneath the memorable chorus, If you really get to know me. I’ll give you everything I have to give. If you ever need me, baby, I’ll be right here for you. But please remember, I’m an acquired taste.
Every song on GentleMann feels like a hit. This was purposeful. NeverMann said, “The focus has been to make all songs possible singles, to make them all stand alone hits. Rickard and I started the work on the album in late 2017 and later on we got OSC on board.”
Bringing together a set of singles into a coherent whole is a challenge. “Since all the songs are potential singles, OSC did a great job mixing them and putting the songs in order to create somewhat of a GentleMann story. It wasn’t easy, but I think he did it!”
I immediately noticed the intro and outro to the album pull the album together with their city ambience and sax. The lyrics feel thematic throughout the album as well, as does the sound and textures of the songs. At the same time, the songs stand on their own.
What I find most striking about GentleMann is every detail feels purposeful and perfectly crafted, from the entry of a guitar solo to the duration the note of a vocal hangs before dropping off. NeverMann said of the sound, “It’s crisper and more polished. The work that OSC has done to the production, mix and the fantastic mastering by The Cage Studios is remarkable and I’m very happy with it.” He added, “I think I found my NeverMann style and sound.”
NeverMann has an exciting future. He already has a mostly instrumental EP in the making and is “moving more toward the funkier side of the retro sound.” He said he might even get the chance to do a “Spaghetti Western Synthwave” album he’s dreamt of for a while, being a big fan of Ennio Morricone.” NeverMann is also looking to perform live to share his songs with an audience, which would be quite the show. He’s already started to prepare a live set to be ready if the call comes!
In the meantime, let’s indulge in GentleMann.
I’ll be humming, I’m an acquired taste for quite a while.