| Married couple Kenny Lattimore and Chante
Moore have released a brand new album. Uncovered/Covered
is a unique project in the sense that the Uncovered disc
is a traditional R&B album and the Covered disc is a gospel
inspired CD.
What led you all to the concept to combine
the two different albums?
Kenny-We recorded
the Uncovered portion about a year and a half ago
at least before we even started the Covered side.
The idea to do the Covered side came from Max Siegel
the president of Verity Records. It's association with
Zomba made it easy. Being under the contract it can get
kind of sophisticated in terms of how to do distribution
and who is going to work this and whose going to work
that and we decided to do something that was unprecedented.
That was blend together two completely separate labels
and allow them to work separate singles but it was his
idea to package the project together. Actually I was apprehensive
about packaging the two projects together. Chante and
I have both existed in the gospel world although we didn't
both have our own gospel CD's. We know that there are
people who want to keep what's sacred-sacred. What ended
up happening as once we listened to what we were saying,
it seemed to all fit together because we actually don't
take off one face and put on another. Its all about our
lives. We're Christians 24/7-and we love each other 24-7.
It seemed to make a greater statement to the world and
to Christians in that we need to represent who we are
fully and be free with that and not be bound to someone
else's personal convictions. We do understand that some
people might be like I'm going to listen to this side
and I'm not going to listen to this side. It's all fine
and good. We wanted our project to reflect who we were
in our totality.
I really like the first single from the Uncovered side
"Figure It Out." Being someone that has been
married for some time I can definitely relate to the single.
Can you tell me the history of that song?
Chante-They wrote
it. Brian Michael Cox wrote it with a few other people
we had never met before but it was really something that
we related to being that we work together, live together,
parent together and go to church together. We do a lot
of things together, but we also have a respect for each
others private time and moments of solitude and moments
with our perspective friends that are individualized.
It definitely was something that we understood.
How did you all come to cover the Sade song "No Ordinary
Love?"
Chante-We actually
can't remember who thought of it.
Kenny-We are big fans
of Sade.
Chante-I like the
idea of the song period. This is no ordinary love. We
think that about ourselves it's a special thing that's
been put together and we think the Lord put us together.
It's such a beautiful song and I think being that it's
a duet, yeah we can attack that but by myself I would
have never done it.
It seems like you all are literally all over the world.
How do you all manage to tour and do all of these things
and still raise a family?
Chante-Its very emotional.
It's not an easy thing for me to do although I'm understanding
more that my children are capable and they are strong
and they understand that I am going to be their mommy
for the rest of their lives. I have to kind of let that
be. I don't let too much time go by without seeing them.
I've only been away from them about three weeks ever,
that's the longest I've ever been away from my children
and that was too long. I didn't like the way that it felt
but we do know that we are building a life and I don't
want to do this for the rest of my life. Certainly, there
will be a time when I don't leave them at all when they
come into their teenage years. I will be able to be there
for them on a day to day basis, but the travel is good
even for mommies. It's nice to have some time without
the children there we need to be able to fortify our relationship
and make sure that we do have private time but it is a
difficult thing to balance.
Your album is being released at a great time of year. Although
it isn't a holiday album have you all ever considered doing
a holiday album?
Chante-Yeah we have.
When we thought of doing a gospel CD we thought that would
be a good transition to just do a holiday album. The Lord
had something else in mind. He really knew when to bring
this kind of album about. We love the Lord so much and we
only wanted to do something to glorify Him and in the year
between we had a lot of time and preparation and certainly
soul searching and making sure how we represented ourselves
even to the secular world, that was really my focus in re-examining
myself and how I was going to present myself as a woman.
Because the Lord really started dealing with me about how
I was going to dress if I was going to be that sexy. We
had some pictures that went along with the Uncovered
that were not nasty but they were very sexy and very sensual
and loving but we thought they were going to be something
that we were going to be able to use and the Lord just said
no. It's not going to happen that way. So being obedient
to my Father I realized that I couldn't go that direction
because it would be distracting because I knew the Lord
had other things in mind for me although at that time I
did not know what it was. By the time I figured out exactly
what he wanted from me is when Max Siegel called about doing
this gospel album. That makes sense. If we would have had
these sexy and sensual pictures on the cover of this album
that was supposed to be a duets album with a gospel project
it wouldn't have balanced out. But at the time it actually
came about I said we need to fix these photographs so it
made perfect sense that God prepared me before it actually
happened.
Chante, speaking of you in the physical sense how do
you stay in such great shape?
Chante-Vanity..(laughter).
Some of it is genetic I think because I really, really love
to eat. I do work out and I think that helps growing up
I was always really into athletics. I was always physical
and I was always working out and I think that helped me
in this last few years having children. The resilience has
been because of the body I had because when you are pregnant
you really want to eat. It's just about making sure you
discipline yourself afterwards because you could really
lose the weight without working out if you wanted to its
just about watching the carbs, and watching what you eat
and drinking the water, things like that. I kind of do that.
If I feel myself kind of getting out of shape I go back
to the gym.
How do you all deal with being a couple in the spotlight
and are you all especially conscious of things that you
say to the media?
Chante-No. We really
don't have to deal with it until we have a project and anytime
they go to far if they ask something we don't want to answer
we don't answer it.
Kenny-Usually the media
that causes all that crazy paparazzi frenzy it's negative
stuff. Like if someone found me outside drunk on Sunset
Blvd. it would be all over the newspapers and I think pretty
much our lives are kept pretty private and there's not crazy
drama for people to write about.
Chante-And we are not
super duper famous. I mean have fame to the extent of you
all knowing who we are but even to being to the level of
the Jay-Z and Beyonce's and people who have paparazzi staked
out all over their home. Kenny and I have been to the beach
plenty of times and no one ever photographed me. If it did
we would just guard ourselves more closely you really have
to know you have to keep your lives clean.
Where did you all do most of the recording for this new
album?
Kenny-Dallas, Texas
for the Covered side with Fred Hammond. That's where most
of that was. Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles for
the Uncovered side.
Since this is you all's second duets CD in a row do you
all have any plans for solo albums again?
Chante-Yes, I just signed
a deal with Peak Records, it's a jazz label actually. So
yeah I'm going to be recording that very soon and that's
going to come out ASAP.
Kenny-And we put solo
songs on both sides of these CD's. We haven't forgotten
about our fans who enjoyed us as solo artists.
Any more stage plays in the future?
Chante-We might do one
to this album. We really haven't figured out what we are
going to do in the New Year but that is one of the options
that we are considering.
Kenny-We didn't get a chance to take "Things Lovers
Do" around the entire country. If we do get a chance
to do this particular project that way it will give us a
chance to get out and see everybody.
Chante-Because mama
won't be pregnant this time.
Is there a tour planned behind this album?
Chante-Yeah, the tour
might be the actual play.
Kenny-Please check
our Myspace page for any promo dates that might come up
because we may try to throw in a twenty city go round
before the end of the year.
Related Links
http://www.myspace.com/kennyandchante
http://www.kennyandchante.com/
Lattimore/Moore-interview
copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, and Thabiz.com 2006
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler is the author of Be
My Sorority Sister Under Pressure and the Unplanned
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Lattimore/Moore-interview
may not be reprinted, copied or distribute without permission.
You may link to this interview.Interview copyright Dorrie
Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com October 2006.
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