Tonex Took His Time Wrapping 'Box'

05/31/2004 8:45 AM, Reuters
Deborah Evans Price

Soul/gospel artist Tonex never does anything halfway. So no one should be surprised that his first live album is a two-CD set that was many months in the making.

"Out the Box" by Tonex & the Peculiar People was recorded live in his hometown of San Diego and released May 18 on Verity Records. The project has sold 12,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and it is No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.

The album features appearances by Yolanda Adams , Applejaxx, Sheila E. and Kirk Franklin.

On the DVD release of "Out the Box," due in July, Tonex is backed by a 10-piece band, four dancers, a 16-voice ensemble and a 40-voice choir. He takes the listener on a journey that includes funk, rock, hip-hop, R&B and worship.

For Tonex, the biggest challenge in making the record was capturing the sound of studio precision and the energy of a live recording.

"It took a lot of preproduction and a lot of postproduction to make that happen," he says. "The whole process literally took about nine months to put together just to get to the point of recording it.

"After that the challenge was taking over 130 tracks and mixing them," he continues. "I like to have control over every instrument and every situation. It was more like mixing a movie score than it was just your conventional CD."

First single "Make Me Over" is off to a good start at gospel radio. Tonex says the next single, "Since Jesus Came," which features Franklin, will be pushed to mainstream R&B stations in addition to gospel outlets. It will be buoyed by a TV appearance May 29 on "Soul Train."

Tonex feels "Out the Box," his third album, is going to take his career to new heights. "This record is probably going to be my 'Control' album," he says, referring to Janet Jackson 's breakthrough set.

Tonex's sound and image have been continually evolving. "The first album was very dark," he says. "It was a confessional record. It was a little bit more street, a grittier record."

That debut album, "Pronounced Toe-Nay," won the 1999 Stellar Award for best rap/hip-hop album.

"On the next record people wanted me to do another 'Pronounced Toe-Nay,' which was predominantly soul, and I'd already done that," he says. "I try not to repeat myself. I try to reinvent myself. So the second record was bright and very colorful. It was attributed to my marriage. Everything was beautiful, because I finally found love."

The artist has several other irons in the fire. He is producing a project for his wife, Yvette, and for Applejaxx. He is also working on a fragrance called Safe, Sexy, Sanctified.

"It's for men and women and then there will be a soundtrack that comes with that to help launch the fragrance. That should be out around Christmas time."

He is also shopping around a reality TV show called "First Family." Tonex describes it as "a reality show of me trying to juggle being a pastor, a husband and a recording artist."

Reuters/Billboard