Biography
Prior to Andre Harrell’s move from Uptown Records to Motown, the commercially driven swingbeat and urban R&B outfit Soul For Real secured its deal with the former imprint. Four Dalyrimple brothers made their entrance in 1995 with the album Candy Rain, fronted by eldest sibling Chris ‘Choc’ Dalyrimple (b. 30 April 1971, USA); the others are Andre (b. 4 April 1974, USA), Brian (b. c.1976, USA) and Jason (b. 10 May 1980, USA). Harrell’s departure created turbulence at the label, yet Candy Rain still reached platinum status, although the group later claimed stronger promotion would have generated substantially higher sales. The release nonetheless established Soul For Real by spawning the hit singles ‘Every Little Thing I Do’, ‘Candy Rain’ and ‘If You Want It’. When the follow-up For Life arrived in 1996, both the act and Uptown were clearly positioning themselves for the projected multi-platinum breakthrough. To that end the quartet adopted a noticeably more mature approach, swapping the bubblegum pop of its predecessor for a measured, somewhat strained R&B sound. For Life’s muted commercial reception led the group to depart for Chrome Dome.
Albums