TORONTO -- The past looms large on R&B singer Divine Brown's latest soulful disc, "The Love Chronicles," a varied collection that winds through the decades of soul including the doo-wap '50s, the funk-heavy '70s and the beat-heavy dance grooves of today.
Brown says she never set out to explore the past so methodically, but noticed when she began writing two years ago that the first songs had a strong '50s and '60s vibe. Subsequent tracks inadvertently tackled later decades and she knew she had a natural arc to follow.
"As I'm kind of six songs deep, I'm kind of like, `Oh, OK!"' the animated Brown says of the early writing process, which began roughly two years ago.
"Now that this sort of has this pattern, or this trend, I've written in, and I've touched on '50s, 60s, '70s, (I thought), `OK, let's see what we can come up with that has an '80s flair to it,' "
That conjured up warm memories of favourites like the Isley Brothers, the Gap Band and Con Funk Shun, she says, pushing her to try to capture those old emotions, as well as the styles, for her sophomore release.
But while the Toronto-based Brown was eager travel back in time for her creative exploits, she made a point to sever ties with her professional past.
The powerhouse vocalist says she changed her record label at the time, Universal Music Canada, and management company, Chris Smith Management Inc., while deflecting invitations to audition for high-profile musical theatre productions in Toronto like Elton John's "We Will Rock You."
Brown had honed her formidable skills as a stage performer in shows that included "Rent" and "Ain't Misbehavin"' before releasing her self-titled debut in 2005 and says she had been tempted to return to those roots when John's pop musical, based on the rock hits of Brit band "Queen," came knocking.
"I really wanted to be a part of it but I also knew that I really needed to focus," she says. "I had to make a choice because I wanted to make sure that all of my attention would be put towards one thing."
It was also important that Brown felt sufficient attention was being put towards her. At the time, her old label and manager had their hands full with another massive release -- Nelly Furtado's chart-busting comeback "Loose" -- and Brown felt that didn't leave enough space for her.
"I know that I need a certain amount of attention as an artist. It's like you got to know what your worth is, you know?" she says of her decision to chart a new course.
"`Loose' was, oh my god, an incredible record. An incredible record. Big comeback. There was a lot of attention and focus, obviously, going there.... But I know that at this point, at this stage of the game, I need... to just cut ties, you know, shake hands and be like, `Yo, it's all good. I wish you the best but I need to ...do what's right for me.' "
Leaving both her label and management company left Brown "in limbo" for several months, she says. It was a chance meeting with one of her greatest musical influences, Chaka Khan, at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala last year that helped put things in perspective.
"She looked into my eyes and she said: `As long as your intent is pure, you will not be denied,' and that's something that has stayed with me forever," says Brown, who landed at Warner for her latest release.
"She was like an angel that was sent from the creative forces of the universe to say: `Hey girl, don't give up.' "
Brown's latest disc, "The Love Chronicles," comes out Tuesday.
