Eddie Howard

The 2003 album Power Under Control by R&B singer and songwriter Eddie Howard gives scant indication of addressing the Bush administration, even though it features a number called "Let Freedom Ring" and several other titles that invite such speculation. One cut, "Everything I've Wanted to Say," might allude to George W. Bush's State of the Union speech that year, while another lecture arrives "In the Bad Times," an era when anxiety over terrorism easily produces "Another Sleepless Night." Still more ambiguous is "Waiting on Your Return," which could function as a dispatch from the State Department aimed at Osama Bin Laden.

Though unrelated to any genuine assessment of Howard's artistic choices, such speculation nevertheless hints at the sense of isolation this performer experienced while cultivating a style he terms "romance with an edge," at a moment when fellow acts scored hits by rapping about the dimensions of women's posteriors or the design of their undergarments. Howard also characterizes himself as "a romantic old soul, but...not very old," and lists Babyface and Teddy Pendergrass among his preferred recording artists. In a country-and-western context of the present era he would qualify as a new traditionalist. Raised in Louisiana, he took up guitar at age seven under the guidance of his uncle, blues musician MacArthur Jones. He later mastered bass, keyboards, and trumpet as well, launching performances of strictly original romantic material by the age of eleven.

After high school he enlisted in the Air Force, where he earned the nickname "Eddie the Entertainer" and appeared in the variety show "Tops and Blue" during his tour of duty. Upon completing his service he assembled the group Real, whose repertoire blended R&B with rap. His current base is Southern California, where he established himself through a series of solo club dates that included appearances at The Roxy. Power Under Control resulted from several years of concentrated work in his personal studio; during the same period Howard also produced and composed for other soul artists. He should not be mistaken for the numerous earlier recording figures who share the name Eddie Howard, most notably the veteran soul songwriter who partnered with Donny Hathaway in the early '70s.