Ryan Cabrera

Since the summer 2004 release of his first E.V.L.A./Atlantic album, TAKE IT ALL AWAY, Ryan Cabrera has quickly earned a reputation as one of the most compelling new voices on the modern pop scene. A gifted songwriter, singer, and musician, Ryan has also emerged as a captivating live performer and charismatic personality, winning over a legion of devoted fans. Now, with YOU STAND WATCHING, he has delivered a mature and accomplished work which more than lives up to the promise of his platinum-selling label debut.

Recorded over a three-week period in June 2005, the self-produced set sees the 23-year-old Cabrera taking a spontaneous and organic tack towards his new music. Refining his artful pop-rock sound, Ryan has crafted an exceptional set of songs that showcase his rapid growth as both a composer and a performer. Marked by an engaging lyricism, killer hooks, and his distinctive, unaffected vocal style, YOU STAND WATCHING stands as a major step forward for an artist who has clearly become someone to watch.

TAKE IT ALL AWAY was actually Ryan’s second album, following his self-produced 2001 indie release, ELM STREET,’which became a staple in college dorm rooms across the country. But it was TAKE IT ALL AWAY that caused the industry to take notice of the Dallas-born tunesmith. Produced by Cabrera and the Goo Goo Dolls’ Johnny Rzeznik, the album made a remarkable debut at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart. Certified RIAA gold a mere month after its release, the album’s success was fuelled by a pair of irresistible hits, ‘On The Way Down’ and ‘True’ – both of which are RIAA gold-certified digital singles.

Ryan celebrated TAKE IT ALL AWAY with a year of nearly constant roadwork, with sold-out headlining shows as well as support stints alongside the likes of labelmate Jewel and Jessica Simpson. When his non-stop touring schedule finally wound down in February 2005, Cabrera considered his next move, and the answer came quickly. ‘Instead of slowing down, I decided to hit it again right away,’ he says. ‘Instead of being away for six months or a year after the last record died down, I thought, ‘I’m just going to keep going.’

‘I didn’t really feel any pressure in following up TAKE IT ALL AWAY until people kept mentioning it,’ he continues. ‘You know, the second record is the hardest one to do.’ Hey, thanks a lot! But when I got to making the new album, I forgot about all that stuff and just tried to write and record the best songs I possibly could.’ Cabrera spent the spring of ’05 writing songs at his manager’s Hollywood home, overlooking the lights of Los Angeles. As the music evolved, Ryan decided to truly own the project by producing the album himself. As he worked, the call came from MTV inviting him to host their new reality performance competition series, Score. With his agenda now including a TK-episode TV series to tape, Ryan faced the briefest of windows in which to record. Having little time to waste, he opted to produce the album on his own. ‘It was just easier,’ he explains. ‘Instead of someone else coming in and hearing my music, and then saying where they thought it should go, I was able to say, okay, this is where I think it should go. Plus, I loved producing the last record with John, but never really got the credit for it. This time I thought, ‘I’m going to do it by myself and whatever happens, happens.’

Cabrera booked time at El Dorado Studios in L.A., enlisting some of his favorite session players, many of whom had joined him on ‘TAKE IT ALL AWAY,’ including drummer Dorian Crozier (Five For Fighting, Mandy Moore, the Rembrandts), bassist Paul Bushnell (Jewel, Lisa Marie Presley, Alanis Morissette), keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac (John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, the Rolling Stones), and guitarist Greg Suran (Goo Goo Dolls, Glen Phillips, Backstreet Boys). ‘They’re all just incredible musicians,’ Ryan says. ‘I knew I could just go in there with those guys and go at it.’

With Ryan at the helm, the band laid down their tracks in just one short but incredibly productive week. Backing tracks in hand, Cabrera then started recording his vocals, working in the home studio he’d recently set up. ‘It was very convenient,’ he says. ‘I’d wake up, sing, go play some ping-pong, sing another song, take a nap, sing another song, and so forth. It was great – I could just pop into the studio whenever I wanted to. It worked out beautifully.’

A few days into his vocal sessions, Cabrera began feeling poorly and was soon diagnosed with a nasty case of strep throat. Rather than take a week off to get better – thus blowing his self-imposed deadline – he opted to continue singing throughout his illness. Cabrera soon discovered that his tortured throat added a soulful texture to his voice that actually enhanced the emotional resonance of the songs. ‘I actually got some of the coolest vocal takes on the record while I was sick,’ he laughs.

‘The vocals for ‘Hit Me With Your Light’ were better than any of the ones I’d done before.’ By the end of June, Cabrera had completed all the tracks he needed to put the album together. Total time recording, from start to finish: 21 days. ‘I didn’t want to spend ten years producing a record,’ he explains. ‘I wanted the songs to be themselves, instead of worrying about all this crazy slickster production. I was interested in maintaining the dignity and the hearts of the songs, letting them breathe and become what they are.’

The resulting YOU STAND WATCHING displays a strikingly diverse set of musical flavors, from the Latin-flavored ‘Our Story’ to the soaring ‘Photo,’ from the alt-rockin’ ‘Hit Me With Your Light’ – described by Cabrera as ‘the Cure-meets-Gin Blossoms’ – to the stripped-down romanticism of the album-closing ballad, ‘It’s You.’ ‘It’s a hang-out record, with lots of different styles,’ he says. ‘Each song has its own vibe, serving its own purpose. I wanted people to hear it and think, ‘Who is this?’

The album also sees Cabrera growing more confident as a lyricist. ‘Shine On,’ the radiant first single, reveals Ryan’s innate warmth and positivity, offering his best to a former sweetheart. ‘A lot of times, when people break up, they’re all pissed off at the other person,’ he explains. ‘They wish the worst for them. But this song is kind of the opposite – it’s like, we’re not together, but God made you to shine on. You do your thing, I’ll do my thing, and hopefully everybody will be doing well.’

For some songwriters, newfound celebrity might have proven a roadblock to frank lyrical expression. Cabrera admits to occasionally worrying about his more personal songs, aware that the public knows a thing or two about his private life.

‘Sometimes I’ll write a song and then realize, ‘Oh crap, this is for the world,” he says. ‘Songs aren’t just for yourself. They get put on a record and everybody can hear them. So I think, ‘Do I really want to say this?’ But you can’t worry about it. I hope people get it and apply it to themselves. It’s ok to think you know what a song is about, but what’s important is that you apply it to your own life.’

Though his future plans include trying his hand at producing other artists – ‘when things slow down’ for right now, Ryan Cabrera is excited about the hard work that the coming months hold for him. ‘I probably could use a breather,’ Ryan says, ‘but I figured that eventually there will be a time when I need a break. But right now I’m loving it, so I’m going to keep doing as much as I can.’