The history of popular music is full of male singing groups that harmonize like church choirs and dance acts that move with the precision of Broadway veterans. But when it comes to artists that combine the vocal prowess of groups such as Boys II Men with the sinuous grooves of outfits like New Edition, the list gets much shorter. And, when you combine those characteristics with a range of musical styles, including Latin, pop, R&B, hip-hop, reggae, and rock, and all the performers are young Hispanics who grew up in the United States, you’re down to one exceptional act: Cnote.
“We want people to see the group as great vocalists who have high energy songs and music first and foremost,” says co-founder Rául Molina. “But it’s also important that we’re all American Latinos because that leaks over into our style, attitude and sound. And when you combine that with the crazy things we do with our voices and all the dancing, I think we’re really one of a kind.”
Cnote’s songs are representative not only of the dynamic performers in the group (Rául “RaRa” Molina, David “D’Lo” Pérez, Josh “J-Kid” Correa, Orlando “O.T.” Torres and Johnathan “Jae Pezz” López), but also of an entire generation of music lovers from both Hispanic and non-Hispanic backgrounds. Their appeal is all encompassing and their talents know no boundaries.
“We performed at the Puerto Rican Day Parade to millions of people, and sang in Spanish and celebrated Latin culture and pride. And then three weeks later, we did a concert to an all English speaking crowd and we sang in English,” says Pérez, who formed the group with Molina in 2005. “We can travel between all different genres because that’s just what we’re about and what we embody.”
Cnote’s cultural and music eclecticism shines through their debut full-length, Chivalry. Rooted in strong songwriting, the music combines soaring harmonies and confident lead vocals with propulsive percussion, sizzling rhythms and keyboard, and string and horn embellishments. In addition to being sonically diverse, the songs run the emotional gamut from sexy and celebratory to tender and melancholy.
“We all write the songs, which is why you hear so many different styles in our music,” Molina explains. “Everyone brings his own element to the group and we’ll try anything as long as its good and fits in with what we’re doing.”
That explains the range and depth of Chivalry: “All of Me” is sweet and sincere, a torch lit love song driven by spare percussion and augmented with Spanish guitar (Molina and Pérez wrote the track for Molina’s fiancée and performed it at their wedding). “Forgive Me” is a reflective ballad with strings, piano, an unforgettable chorus and a clever plot twist. “If you’re reading ‘Forgive Me,’ you’re thinking ‘Oh, it’s one of those I’m sorry, I messed up songs,’” says Molina. “But really, it’s saying, ‘Forgive me, but I think it’s time to move on. I think we’re done as a couple and we need to move on before we start hating each other.’ I really like that about it.”
The most personal song on the album, “Still,” begins with soft, wounded vocals and gentry strummed guitars before blossoming in a bouquet of gorgeous vocals and swirling strings. The tune pays tribute to the deaths of Molina’s grandfather and Pérez’s grandmother. “It’s about what it’s like to lose someone you love and how you remember them after they’re gone,” Pérez says. “It was kind of a healing process for us to do that.”
“At the same time, it’s a difficult song to perform,” adds Molina. “When you’re doing it onstage it kind of brings you back to what you were feeling when you wrote it. And that’s kind of hard. But I believe it’s a song that can really help other people that are going through the same process as well.”
As much sentiment and sincerity flows through Chivalry, there’s also a lot of bootie-shakin’ and partying going on. After opening with a volley of castanets and Spanish horns, “Curious” turns up the heat with undulating dance beats and lyrics about the kinds of girls that reduces articulate men to blabbering idiots. ‘Hot Girls” is equally inviting – a cocktail of vocoder-enhanced vocals, throbbing electronic beats and show stopping vocals. But perhaps the most upbeat tune, “Baja,” is a bubbling hybrid of pop and hip-hop that features guest vocals by N.O.R.E.
“One of our producers did some tracks on N.O.R.E.’s album, so he hooked us up,” Molina says. “He went to N.O.R.E. and showed him the song and he was like, ‘Yo, that’s hot. I’ll get on it.’”
Although Cnote officially formed in 2005, the roots of the group stretch back to the late ‘90s when Pérez’s family was throwing a Hispanic coming of age party called a “quinceanera” for Pérez’s younger sister. Pérez hired a singing group featuring a guy he used to work with, and when they arrived he recognized Molina, who had attended the same high school many years earlier. “We caught up, which was fun. And I was emceeing the party,” Pérez recalls. “So, when they were singing they were watching me working the crowd and dancing, and they decided they needed a bass singer, so they asked me to join.”
Pérez and Molina sang together in various groups, then worked behind the scenes for a while producing and writing for other artists. But two and a half years ago, the two decided to return to the stage. So, they placed advertisements in various newspapers and scheduled open auditions in Los Angeles, Orlando, Miami and New York. However, after traveling everywhere but New York they still hadn’t found anyone who complimented their musical vision.
“We were getting a little discouraged,” admits Pérez. “Then one night we were in the studio at one in the morning and somebody called and said they knew somebody who had a kid that might work well with what we were looking for. So we said, ‘Send him in.’ That was Josh [Correa] and as soon as we saw him, we knew he could sing and he looked good and had that ‘it’ factor. The funny thing is we went to call him and tell him he was in, but he didn’t answer his phone for a week. We started thinking he didn’t want to be in the group. It turned out that he had lost his phone and when he realized we were trying to get hold of him, he freaked out.”
Before Cnote headed to New York for their last round of open auditions, they received a videotape of Orlando Torres singing and liked what they saw. So, when they hit the Big Apple, they scheduled a separate audition for Torres, who brought his best friend Johnathan López to the session for moral support. “Orlando sang great, and when he was done we said to Johnathan, ‘Hey, why don’t you sing, too? Can you sing?’” Pérez says. “And he was like, ‘Yeah, I sing, but this is my friend’s audition and I don’t want to step on his toes.’ But then Orlando said it was cool and got him to sing, and we looked at him like ‘Wow, this kid’s really good,’ so we asked him to join as well. At first, we had wanted just four guys, but Johnathan was the perfect fit, so Rául and I thought let’s make it five because it seems like it was meant to be.”
In early 2006, Cnote signed with JKH and entered the studio as a five-piece to record “Wepa,” a pop extravaganza with a verse by DJ Tony Touch. Then, they tracked a reggaeton version of the song with Webal and Alex. Both cuts received strong airplay in autumn 2006 at radio stations in The U.S. and Puerto Rico. But Cnote didn’t rely on the singles alone to spread their message. Instead, they scheduled a radio station tour and performed in person for the staffs of countless major urban stations.
“We had to get in front of everybody and let them know what we’re about,” says Pérez. “And when they saw us and heard us it was almost like a light bulb went off in their heads. They got it, and all of a sudden we started getting airplay like crazy.”
To date, Cnote has been honing their craft and fine-tuning their classic showmanship throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Highlights include performing with Pitbull and Victor Manuelle, high-profile concert appearances with reggaeton giants Daddy Yankee, Ivy Queen, and Don Omar, as well as major television appearances including Extra!, MTV, LatiNation, Despierta America, No te Duermas, El Gordo y la Flaca, and Escándalo TV.
One of the group’s most memorable experiences took place at a packed venue in Belize. After a breathtaking performance, the group got off stage and thousands of appreciative fans rushed backstage to meet their new heroes. “They didn’t have enough security to deal with the huge crowd,” Molina recalls. “So we got mobbed and surrounded and grabbed and stuff. And the next thing we knew, the security pulled us out the back door and we actually ran through the woods to a van that was waiting on a dirt road to take us away. We felt like the Beatles, man.”
With Chivalry, Cnote may soon receive similar receptions all over the world. In an era sorely lacking of strong singing groups, the album delivers strong messages of unity, celebration and cultural identity that can be interpreted on various levels – kind of like the quintet’s name. On the one hand, Cnote is slang for a $100 bill, but Pérez is quick to note that there’s also another definition. “When you learn to play piano, you start on the middle ‘C,’” he says. “So, it’s kind of like this is the beginning of a rewarding musical journey.”
Comments
View All
IndieMusicPeople.com
�2015-2016 Indie Music
People All Rights
Reserved