Dreams really do come true. Don't believe it?
Consider this: on March, 1997, Dan Metreyeon knocked on the door of the recording studio
belonging to the world-renowned pop producers Frank and Christian Berman (more commonly
known as the Berman Brothers). Frank answered the door to find Metreyeon pushing a demo
tape into his hands. Frank said three words: "Come back tomorrow."
Following this advice, Metreyeon, along with
his partner, Tim Cruz, returned the following day. Frank listened to the tape and took an
immediate liking to Metreyeon and Cruz. Within moments, the male duo React was born.
At the time, the Berman Brothers -- known for
producing such pop-dance hits as Real McCoy's "Another Night," Amber's
"This Is Your Night," and She Moves' "Breaking All The Rules" -- had
been in search of the perfect male duo. According to both Frank and Christian, React is
that duo because "they perform hard-edged pop with a deep groove for the new
millennium."
Fast forward several months. The
German-born/New York-residing Berman Brothers find themselves inking a production/imprint
deal with Columbia Records. And guess what? React is the first act they want to sign.
React's self-titled debut album fiercely challenges the parameters of contemporary pop
music. As a collection of songs, the album overflows with delicious slices of all aspects
of R&B infused pop music, encompassing uptempo dance songs like "Let Me Be The
One," downtempo jams like "Give Me One More Chance" and sultry ballads like
"The First Night Of Forever." Across the impressive range of the album's songs
-- many of which were co-written by Metreyeon and Cruz -- the duo's impassioned vocals
capture the first rush of love and the bittersweet catharsis of dancing the night away.
Album highlights include the deep funk groove
of "Let's Go All The Way"; a wickedly intense and wryly sung remake of Bryan
White's recent country hit, "I'm Not Supposed To Love You Anymore"; and the
set's first single, the irresistible smash "I Can't Keep My Hands Off You." As
musical artists, Metreyeon and Cruz seem as at home on the dancefloor as they do in front
of the fireplace with a bottle of Dom Perignon. Lush and romantic, exuberant and
infectious, React is a future R&B classic in the making.
When discussing their sound and look, both
Metreyeon and Cruz quickly brush off any thoughts of inclusion in the current "boy
group" phenomenon. Says Metreyeon, "We really don't fit into that whole thing.
Because, quite honestly, there haven't been two guys doing it the way we do. Our music is
straight pop with a deep, funky R&B vibe. We're not fluffy, and we definitely aim for
a harder vocal delivery. And our look is more grown-up, more mature, definitely
sexier."
24-year-old Dan Metreyeon was born in
Jacksonville, Florida, and raised just outside of Dallas, Texas. The bulk of his youth was
spent in Chicago where, upon turning 16, he got his first singing job in a rock 'n' roll
revue at a Six Flags amusement park. When the thrill of that subsided, he headed south to
Orlando, Florida. I was working on a cruise ship," he says laughing. I was playing
'Kenicke' in Grease. You know, he's the one who gets the Rizzo character knocked-up."
At the same time, native New Yorker Tim Cruz,
21, was traveling throughout Europe on one modeling assignment after another.
Additionally, he appeared in several music videos and, as he fondly recalls, "always
secretly sang in my bedroom, in front of the mirror, pretending to be on stage."
Early last year, Metreyeon and Cruz met at a
party. I had only been living in New York for about one month and was doing demo work in a
studio where Tim's brother worked," explains Metreyeon. "Actually, the studio
was in the same building as the Berman Brothers'. Anyway, the studio happened to be
throwing a staff party and Tim came with his brother. Tim and I got to talking and we
quickly realized that we had many of the same ideas. We also discovered that we like many
of the same artists, like Tears For Fears, George Michael, and Elton John."
Several days later, the two were in
Metreyeon's 8-track home studio working on a few demos. According to Cruz, "We did
some really basic, uncomplicated demos. But, at least, our voices sounded good. And, yes,
this is the demo tape that we brought to the Berman Brothers."
With their debut album, React has created something new and
fresh that people of all ages can relate to. "This album is exactly as Tim and I want
it. What's really great about it, especially since we're a new act, is that we were able
to remain true to our original sound and vision. The Berman Brothers simply helped us get
there a little sooner than planned. And for that, we're very grateful." |