INTERVIEW: Corey Glover on his new project, Sonic Universe
Photo: Sonic Universe’s debut album is called It Is What It Is. Photo courtesy of earMUSIC / Provided by Atom Splitter PR with permission.
Corey Glover has something to say, and the music world would do well if they continued to listen to this dynamic, energetic, skillful vocalist, perhaps best known as the frontman of the rock group Living Colour. Glover’s latest project is called Sonic Universe, where he joins forces with guitarist Mike Orlando of Adrenaline Mob for a fierce and declarative debut album called It Is What It Is, out now from earMUSIC. Music lovers have been enjoying the tunes so far, including the single “I Am.”
“Basically I met Mike Orlando for the first time in 2018 on this rock cruise, ShipRocked,” Glover said in a recent phone interview. “I was on as a stowaway basically, floating artist at large, and Mike was playing with his own solo band. And watching him play, I was enthralled. I was mesmerized by his playing and the stuff he was playing and how he was playing it. My manager at the time … introduced us, and I gushed all over him. ‘Look, we got to work together. We got to do something together. I don’t care what it is. We can write dog-food jingles. I don’t care what it is. I just want to work with you.’ And we got together, started writing, and writing was really, really good. Over the course of 2019, we got some stuff done, and then obviously 2020 was a bust. We tried to do as much stuff as we [could] from a distance, and then we got back in earnest in 2021-2022. And in 2023, we finished the record, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
When Glover approached Orlando about a possible collaboration, the singer didn’t care whether his voice would match the guitarist’s playing. Glover simply wanted to work with him, in whatever capacity he could. “My voice was irrelevant at the time,” he said. “I was like, that is one of the baddest guitar players I’ve ever seen in my life. That is one of the most amazing guitar players I’ve ever seen in my life. Even if I wasn’t singing on it, I’d want there to be something written by me and him.”
Eventually Glover met Orlando at the guitarist’s studio in Staten Island, New York. They were joined by bassist Booker King and drummer Taykwuan Jackson, and Sonic Universe was born. Glover knows Staten Island well; he’s had many friends reside in the borough over the years, including some members of Living Colour.
“So, going to Staten Island was not an issue,” he said. “I just showed up at Staten Island, got myself a bagel with egg and cheese, sat down, ate and wrote music basically. … Thus far, we’ve been getting a lot of good press, which is great. I want to know how the people feel about it, if they are as excited as the press we’re getting.”
That first single, “I Am,” was actually the first song that Glover and Orlando wrote together. At first, Glover was fascinated by the fact that “I am” is a complete sentence, and it sums up his feelings during this recording process.
“I believe that Mike Orlando and myself are completely undervalued in the marketplace,” Glover admitted. “I think as a musician, as an engineer, as a producer, as a guitar player, that he’s completely overlooked, as am I for that matter as a singer. And this is sort of a declarative statement saying we are here. We’re kicking asses and taking names. Deal with it. I am here right now, and I’ve been doing this for a very long time. And I’m making sure that you know I’m still here.”
Glover added: “I just want people to know that a guitar player like Mike Orlando, a singer like Corey Glover still exist and deserve all the accolades and the flowers that they deserve.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Sonic Universe, featuring Corey Glover, Mike Orlando, Booker King and Taykwuan Jackson, recently released its debut album, It Is What It Is, on earMUSIC. Click here for more information.
