Make Him Do Right, Karyn White's third Warner Bros. album, does indeed focus on sentiments and feelings that women of the Nineties will easily identify with. Check out the upbeat, no-nonsense first single "Hungah For Your Love," one of the songs Karyn co-wrote and co-produced for the album, "a sensual tune that I wrote when I was singing in the shower! I wanted to do something that was in the vein of a Donna Summer '70's kind of tune...although we don't push the same kind of buttons as much as she did!"
Reflecting the album's diversity, the beautiful ballad, "I'd Rather Be Alone," a cut Karyn co-produced with Flyte Tyme Productions' Jellybean Johnson, contrasts with the propulsive, insistent "Weakness."
And, in the tradition of her 1991 classic "Superwoman," there's title track "Make Him Do Right," a soulful, straight-ahead piece (written and produced by hitmaker Daryl Simmons) that Karyn notes, "is about how we women want to be treated. It's like, if you can't make a man do right, what you can do is raise your own level of self-respect. The lyrics are telling women that it's better to be alone than to be mistreated or disrespected. There's one line, 'if he don't want to get married, then he can't be no man of mine,' and I'm a good example of that viewpoint myself!"
Karyn is referring to her marriage to master producer Terry Lewis, who (with partner Jimmy Jam), co-produced seven tracks on Make Him Do Right. She says, "My marriage and the birth of my daughter Ashley have been like the opening of a whole new beautiful chapter in my life." Reflecting on the past, she adds, "When I recorded 'Superwoman,' I was singing about my own mother, but now I understand even better what it really means." Karyn smiles, "The changes in my life have certainly affected how I relate to my music. During my pregnancy, I had time to think and do some soul-searching. I came to this album with a lot of ideas for lyrics and melodies."
In addition to working with Jam & Lewis and Flyte Tyme's McKinley Horton, Karyn also cut two songs with Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds: "Here Comes The Pain," a ballad that she notes "is about knowing something has to change in a relationship," and "Can I Stay With You," which she describes as "a woman's song to a man that talks about how she's never felt so good as when they're making love...how she's exploring the kind of physical things with him she didn't know she'd do...."
What distinguishes her latest album from her previous work, Karyn says, "is that instead of trying to follow a number of different musical directions or pathways, I went just for the kind of things that I do best. I did the vocals really quickly and everything felt very natural, just right."
Music has indeed been a very natural part of her life since L.A.-born Karyn began expressing her vocal abilities. Her father was a trumpet player while her mother served as choir director in the local church where Karyn first displayed her singing skills publicly.
During her teen years, she participated in a number of talent shows and beauty pageants, and she recalls, "When you have to sing, dance and act in front of people, you learn how important it is to be a complete entertainer...and that's always been my goal."
After fronting a local L.A. group named Legacy, Karyn made her professional entry into the music business when she toured as a background vocalist with R&B singer O'Bryan in 1984. Two years later, Karyn got her first taste of chart action when she sang lead on instrumentalist Jeff Lorber's "Facts Of Life," which became a Top 20 R&B and Top 30 pop hit.
It was her standout vocal on the Lorber record that led to her signing with Warner Bros. Records, and while recording her auspicious debut album for the label, Karyn did session work with a number of artists including Julio Iglesias and Ray Parker Jr., as well as developing her writing skills by penning songs for Stephanie Mills, among others.
Karyn White, the talented singer/writer's first album, was released in the fall of 1988 and became a two-million seller, spurred by the international success of the pop/R&B hit singles: "The Way You Love Me," "Love Saw It" (a duet with producer/artist Babyface), and "Superwoman," which virtually became Karyn's signature tune. The song has become a modern-day anthem; it became a hit once again in 1991 when it was recorded by a veritable trio of super divas (Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and Dionne Warwick) for Knight's "Good Woman" album.
1991 was also the year that Warner Bros. released Karyn's gold-plus Ritual Of Love, recorded after the singer completed extensive touring both at home and abroad. The album featured production by Michael J. Powell, Laney Stewart, Christopher Troy & Zack Harmon, with the majority of tunes produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
Karyn co-wrote ten of the tunes on the album as well as co-producing several tracks with Jam & Lewis and Warner executive Benny Medina. The initial single, "Romantic," hit the No. 1 slot on the Hot 100 and became a major R&B smash, while other prime cuts included: "Tears Of Joy," "The Way I Feel About You," "Hooked On You" and "Walkin' The Dog."
The recording of Ritual Of Love also marked Karyn's introduction to Terry Lewis and, when the LP was released, she noted, "...I was in love and feeling great. I wanted an album that reflected all the facets of a romantic relationship."
In 1992, as a new wife and mother to Lewis' two children from a previous marriage, Karyn took time off from performing and recording. "I didn't want to just jump right out there after the second album came out. Spending quality time with my new family was very important to me," says Karyn, who gave birth to daughter Ashley that same year.
During that period, Karyn kept herself musically active, co-writing the R&B hit single "'Till You Come To Me" for acclaimed artist Rachelle Ferrell's debut LP, and co-penning the cut "I Know Where I Stand," for Johnny Gill's second Motown LP, released in 1993. She also toured Japan in the summer of '93 before beginning work on her latest album, and found time to sing backgrounds for Gladys Knight's 1994 release, "Just For You."
Making sure "to create a balance, separating my work from my family" and "with a definite rule that Terry and I have about not discussing what we would do in the studio at home," Karyn spent several months working on Make Him Do Right in Minneapolis.
Make Him Do Right is Karyn White's most personal album to date, the kind of satisfying collection of strong ballads and sensual grooves that has become her musical trademark. Tunes like "I'm Your Woman" and "I'm Thinkin' About Love," are prime examples of Karyn White's eloquent and unique lyrical and musical self-expression.
With justified pride and confidence, Karyn smiles. "This is a new chapter in my life; the happiness I feel in my life, especially with my family, affected the way I felt when I was making this record. I gave it my all and now I'm ready to come on out there!" That's welcome news for record buyers the world over, ready and eager to hear Make Him Do Right, another heart-filled musical offering from Karyn White, made quite naturally, with love.