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| Since moving from the Richmond area to Los Angeles last fall to pursue a recording career, the third-place "Idol" runner-up has had a few adjustments to life on the overcrowded West Coast. He misses mom Claudette's cooking, especially her meatloaf and salmon croquettes. He admits that his navigational instincts are rusty, so the GPS system in his newly purchased car is getting a workout. He's eschewed California's love affair with In-N-Out Burger for local burger and hot dog institution Carney's. And he's renting a condo -- which he hopes to own one day -- in the Ventura area. With a lifestyle several planets away from his world of 18 months ago working as a clerk in Westbury Pharmacy in Henrico County, one of many short-lived jobs -- Yamin hasn't changed that much. "I like it here a lot," he says of L.A., "but I miss my friends and family terribly. I miss just being a regular Richmonder, going about my daily business. I just miss home." Yet in some ways, he's changed completely. |
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| For about three months this winter, Yamin hopscotched from L.A. to New York to Atlanta to work on the 11 songs (and others) that will be released March 20 under the straightforward title, "Elliott Yamin." It's an intriguing mixture of old school soul ("Movin' On"), radio-friendly smooth R&B (first single "Wait for You"), sensitive crooning ("One Word") and rousing gospel-flavored pop ("Free"). "The way this album is made is very organic. There's no glossiness to it, and that's something I'm really proud of," Yamin says. He worked with renowned producers such as Tony Reyes (Christina Aguilera, Ciara, Lionel Richie), the Norwegian team known as Stargate (Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, Rihanna) and Mike Mangini (Bruce Hornsby, Joss Stone, David Byrne) hefty names for a newcomer. |
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| Yamin hasn't returned to Richmond since his December appearance at a charity tennis expo, but will be home twice this month. On March 21, he'll fly in from New York for an in-store appearance at the Circuit City in Short Pump ("I've got to show the hometown some love," he says), then fly out to the Bahamas to perform for radio station contest winners from New York and Los Angeles. On March 31, he's back home for a charity event for Comfort Zone, an organization that supports grieving children. In between are scheduled appearances on "Regis & Kelly," an appearance at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square and a possible visit to Ellen DeGeneres. He's also just taped an audio performance for www.napster.com and a video rehearsal jam for www.rehearsals.com, which should be up in a couple of weeks. Yamin will likely embark on a small tour this spring, and, depending on the album's reception, a larger trek in the summer. |