Upon first listen to Tony Award-winner Lillias White’s debut solo project, Get Yourself Some Happy, I caught myself smiling as I asked, almost out loud:
Ms. White, what took you so doggoned long?
It’s the abundantly ebullient album that we all could use right now, after a tumultuous year and a half that included racial and political turmoil partnered with a pesky, pernicious pandemic.
“We really wanted to create our own universe that was a mix of Motown, rock, funk, gospel and Broadway,” said the album’s producer, Joshua Sherman.
During our EXCLUSIVE chat, Sherman confided that he and White recorded the album’s vocals over two years ago. And their partnership, both artistic and personal, is an enduring one.
“Twenty years ago, I produced a new musical about Normal Rockwell,” Sherman recalled by phone. “I lined up an all-star cast, and Lillias was the first artist to sign on, opening up the door for me as a young producer. She and I became instant friends. Over the years, we integrated into each other’s families, and we’ve been through a lot together.”
The pair’s chemistry is obvious in every glorious note of Get Yourself Some Happy, a fact that Sherman says made the recording of the album as fun as the music itself.
But don’t look to the new album for familiar versions of songs like “When You Wish Upon A Star,” “Put On A Happy Face,” “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Yes,” “That’s All,” and “You’re My Best Friend.” Trust me: you’ve not heard versions like these before.
“Even though it was done in the studio, there’s a ‘live’ electricity because it was created so spontaneously,” Sherman said. “We did it very casually and organically, and we came up with new, cool ways of reinventing some classics. It was about making them current, and yet still accessible to the people who love them.”
One of those songs, the album’s lead single, “Get Happy,” is particularly stunning. Sherman shared the story of its genesis.
“It’s one of the first songs we recorded for the project,” Sherman remembered. “We recorded Lillias all day and we stayed up all night and into the next day, mixing it, We were just so enraptured with where she took the song.”
“Lillias and I have known each other and worked together for so long that we’ve developed sort of a shorthand,” Sherman continued. “We didn’t talk about chord structures; we would talk about emotions and settings. ‘Get Happy’ has always been an upbeat song, and one of Lillias’ favorite places is the beach.”
“So I said ‘Bring it down. You’re on the beach. The waves are hitting you, the sun is shining, and the birds are flying. Let it breathe, Lil. The song is in the wind.’ The resulting track is so refreshing.”
Sherman is spot on in that assessment. In White’s more than capable hands, “Get Happy” practically transports us to the islands. White’s exceptional vocal performance on the track even inspired the album’s title.
“As I was listening to the album, I heard Lil improvising the line ‘Go out and get yourself some happy,” and I knew that had to be the title,” Sherman said. “It had her stamp on it. It was unique to her.”
“Lillias White is not a singer. She’s an artist,” Sherman asserted. “I’ve worked with a lot of artists of really high calibre, and when you get to do that, you start to appreciate real talent. Lillias is a whole other level of artist in terms of both her talent and her artistic vision.”
Sherman shared that while the recording of Get Yourself Some Happy was “organic,” the project’s optimistic slant was very much by design, from the outset.
“One of the things that Lillias and I talked about often, over the years, was how negative the world was,” Sherman said. “By the early 2010s, there was clearly a divide in our country, and I think that people weren’t focused on being happy. Lillias and I talked about how we really wanted to focus on the theme of happiness for the album.”
Sherman and White have succeeded. I’ve been listening to Get Yourself Some Happy for well over a week, almost non-stop. And while I haven’t been able to get to the beach, the album has been a balm poolside, with a glass of my favorite merlot!
“We really need to introduce happiness back into the conversation,” Sherman said. “If we can focus on happiness as a goal or value within our society, I think we could solve a lot of problems.”
“So, Michael,” Sherman advised, with a wry smile, as we wrapped up our chat, “go out there and get yourself some happy!”
You don’t have to tell me twice, sir! I’m off to the pool…
And you just oughta do the same! Go ahead on and get yourself some happy!
Lillias White’s Get Yourself Some Happy is available at all major digital outlets.
Michael P Coleman is a Sacramento based freelance writer who has his eye on the Pulitzer Prize. Connect with him at michaelpcoleman.com or follow his blog, his IG and his Twitter.
