Spotlight on Carl Thomas

I love Carl Thomas. There is so much emotion in his voice that when he sings it does something to me. I think he is one of those underrated artists with amazing talent that is not properly harnessed. A big part of that is due to the fact that he was signed with Bad Boys Records label and that subsequent representation is not properly promoting him as a brand. There is a general consensus in the music industry that Diddy is only after making a quick buck with his artists. He pimps them out through a couple albums then immediately puts them back on the shelf where they fade into obscurity. There is little time for artist development when the next big thing is right around the next corner. What’s even more atrocious is that his artists can’t even live high off the proceeds of past hits because their contracts are such that they get paid as little as possible.

I recently learned that Carl Thomas left Bad Boys soon after the release of his second album, Let’s Talk About, and silently cheered on this decision but it doesn’t seem to have served him well. I was chagrined to learn that he had released an album, So Much Better, in 2007 that I knew nothing about. That just goes to show that it wasn’t promoted well and whatever we may think about Diddy, whenever his artists have an album out he makes sure that we know about it, especially since it contributes to his bottom line.

It’s really a shame that more people don’t know who Carl Thomas is. I still listen to cuts like "Emotional" (from his debut album of the same name) and "Summer Rain" on a regular basis. And "Rebound" (second album- click on title to listen) is one of my all-time favorite songs. If I have one regret it's that I wasn’t able to see him when he was performing at a park concert near my home a few years ago. It would have been great to hear him without studio affect. But I can’t say that I would trade the experience (trip to Hawaii) that I had instead. I only wish that I could have arranged it so that I could've gone on the trip days after the concert.