Cody ChesnuTT: “That’s Still Mama”
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Cody ChesnuTT is proof positive that if you have the grit and drive to make it as an artist there isn’t anything that can stop you. He famously retreated to his bedroom with some instruments and a four-track recorder to make his 2002 hit debut record The Headphone Masterpiece. Almost ten years later he’s taken to the Internet to help fund his new record Landing On A Hundred on Kickstarter.
ChesnuTT was born and raised in Atlanta during the height of the civil rights movement, a time when the walls between rock, funk, R&B and soul were quickly tumbling down. ChesnuTT tapped into that musical zeitgeist and at age 20 set out on his own musical journey. After moving to Los Angeles, ChesnuTT formed the short-lived band The Crosswalk in 1996 before releasing his own Headphone Masterpiece six years later. The record spawned songs like “Look Good in Leather” and “The Seed.” A cover of the latter, “The Seed (2.0),” became a monster hit for The Roots, and featured ChesnuTT on vocals and guitar. In the past few years, he’s also branched out into the film world, collaborating with comedian Dave Chappelle and director Michel Gondry.
Fans have eagerly waited a decade for the proper full-length follow-up to Headphone Masterpiece, and this fall they’ll finally get their wish. The new record is titled Landing On A Hundred, and it was partially recorded at Memphis’s famous Royal Studios where the likes of Al Green, Ike & Tina, Solomon Burke and more have spent time. As of the writing of this post he’s about $6,500 shy of his $20,000 Kickstarter goal with an August 16 deadline. As an enticement, ChesnuTT has let slip one of the record’s tracks, today’s song of the day “That’s Still Mama.” It’s a tasty slice of vintage R&B, the kind ChesnuTT grew up with. The lush, string and horn-filled song is a far cry from the stark four-track recordings from Headphone Masterpiece, but ChesnuTT’s talents as soul-bearing songwriter and singer are still on full display.
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