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American Morning

Showbiz Today Reports: Singer Case Discusses Music, Old-School Style

Aired April 26, 2001 - 11:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Time now to check showbiz news.

LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: Laurin Sydney has the latest from the world of showbiz and music.

Good morning to you -- Laurin.

HARRIS: Hey -- Laurin.

LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon and Linda.

A little question for you and for everybody today: Who is the number one person on the R&B singles charts? No, it's not Janet Jackson -- I heard you out there. It is the soulful singer Case. His single "Missing You" is also number six this week on Billboard's Top Ten Pop Singles chart.

Our very own Michael Okwu recently got serenaded in our New York studio.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Your new CD is out. It's called "Open Letter," and frankly, it sounds to me almost like it's a love letter. Did you mean that way?

CASE, MUSICIAN: It's actually a collection of letters that I wrote. I had the title of the album maybe three or four months before I even started it. This is the best way for me to describe it: It deals with the three types of love that there are in my life, which are the love that I have, the love that I have had and lost, and the love that I wanted and can't ever have.

OKWU: Unrequited love.

CASE: Yes, heavy-heart love.

OKWU: Is it directed at any anyone in particular?

CASE: Yes, every song on the album is directed to specific people, definitely.

OKWU: Do you care to share that with us today? CASE: Yes, I'll give you a little bit. There's a song called "A Song for Skyy": That's for my one-year-old daughter, and it was kind of like my way of expressing to her the way that I felt about her at the time that she was first born, and is something that will always be there for her, so that when she's old enough to understand, it will be there -- she'll always know.

OKWU: And then, former loves -- in all likelihood.

CASE: Well, you know, former loves -- I can't think of anybody right now. I can't give it all away.

OKWU: OK.

Your stuff is so old school. Clearly, you're inspired by good old-fashioned R&B.

CASE: Definitely. That's all that I grew up listening to, and that's all I listen to now -- like the old Stevie Wonder stuff. All of those old albums I have in the house, that I have in the car. That's real, real music me, and that's what I always have wanted to make. And this was the first album that I made in which the label basically gave me the check and said, go, and don't come back until you finish.

OKWU: This is your third album.

CASE: Yes.

OKWU: But before that, before you stepped out on your own, you sang for awhile with Usher.

CASE: Actually, I wrote a song on his first album.

OKWU: I see.

CASE: But the person from whom I really, really learned the most as far as songwriting, arranging, and all that type of stuff was Al B. Sure. That was the first time I was ever in the studio, working with Al, and he taught me a lot about melodies, structuring songs, and all of that type of thing, because at that time he was huge. So there was a lot to be learned from being around him, working with him, and from him giving me that chance.

OKWU: Let's hear a little melody here.

CASE: (sings "Missing You")

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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