Saadiq is an entertainer who continues to make Festival crowds feel good. He's a singer, songwriter and producer who makes music for the fans in his own unique rhythm.

He is a standard bearer for what folks call 'old school' music, a contemporary artist continuing a time-honored tradition that goes back to the '60s and '70s. From his early days as a member of the groundbreaking '80s group Tony! Toni! Toné! through his work as an award-winning producer of such artists as Joss Stone, The Roots, Snoop Dogg, John Legend among many others and his own solo albums, the multi-talented Raphael Saadiq has kept the faith. "Every record I've ever made has had those influences...The Temptations, Al Green, The Four Tops and so on," Raphael explains from the L.A. studio where he recorded his latest illustrious work. This album is the culmination of a life time of experiences informed by the music I grew up on."

The inspiration for singer/songwriter/musician/producer and arranger Raphael's follow up to 2004's critically-acclaimed Ray Ray set came from an unlikely destination. "I was out of the country, cooling out, in Costa Rica and The Bahamas. I was surfing and ran into people from all kinds of places...and I noticed everybody was listening to this classic soul music and when I came back home and the music for this album flowed organically, naturally. Since I have my own studio, I was able to perfect it, take my time to make it right. I was able to live with it, day after day and I think that had a lot to do with how the album turned out. In all, it took about four months to put it all together."

As the lead vocalist and bass player with late '80's/early '90's group Tony! Toni! Toné!, Raphael experienced his first taste of mega-success, kicking off with the hit single, "Little Walter" in 1988 through the now-classic slow jam "It Never Rains (In Southern California)" and the club/dance party of "Feels Good," resulting in total sales of over six million copies for the band.

After leaving the group, Raphael recorded two singles for hit movies (1995's "Ask of You" from Higher Learning and "Me & You" from Boyz in the Hood). In 2000, he created the supergroup Lucy Pearl (with En Vogue's Dawn Robinson and A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad) and the team's much-appreciated sole self-titled album received Grammy, American Music Awards and Soul Train Music Awards nominations.

Production credits for artists like Macy Gray, TLC and the Roots followed: in 2000, Raphael won a Grammy for the song "Untitled" from D'Angelo's Voodoo and in 2002, he released his much-anticipated first solo album. Released on his own Pookie Entertainment imprint, the soul-infused Instant Vintage made history when Raphael became the first artist nominated for no less than five Grammy Awards without having a major record label deal.

In 2003, Raphael released the live CD, All Hits at the House of Blues following it in 2004 with Ray Ray. In demand as a producer, songwriter and musician, Raphael's impressive list of credits includes Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Anthony Hamilton, Devin the Dude, Kelis, Q-Tip, Lil' Skeeter, Ludacris, The Bee Gees, Nappy Roots, T-Boz from TLC, Young Bellz, Earth, Wind & Fire and many others: in 2006, he was the main producer and co-writer of seven songs for the Introducing Joss Stone project.

Now comes The Way I See It, a masterful collection of new material that speaks to Raphael Saadiq's deep love for rhythm and blues. "While I was making the album, I watched videos by Gladys Knight & The Pips, Al Green, The Four Tops...and fused them all together," Raphael says speaking of the further inspiration he found for creating the album, which truly showcases the rich diversity of funky grooves and smooth balladry that is Saadiq's calling card.

Concluding, Raphael Saadiq — whose most recent studio excursions have included work with Keisha Cole, Snoop Dogg, The Grouch and Dave Young — says his latest album was "harder to make than Instant Vintage. Once I got into this, I got almost stuck 'in character,' the character of the old school singers I listened to. But I'm happy and excited it's done. I put in a lot of work and I feel like I achieved something really great." As longtime R&B historian and expert David Nathan of Soul Music.com says, "Raphael Saadiq's latest album is the closest I've heard to a genuine, feel good R&B record since the '70s! Unlike others who copy or attempt to recreate the sound of soul from those days, Raphael Saadiq delivers the real thing." 'Nuff said.