With Second Chance, one of R&B's most distinctive and celebrated voices returns to the spotlight after more than a decade and a half away. The album—which features the work of such legendary producer/songwriters as Babyface and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis alongside tracks by new hitmakers including Mike City, the Avila Brothers and Michael Angelo—tells the story of DeBarge’s redemption following a period of personal turmoil. His triumphant appearance at the 2010 BET Awards, which instantly lit up the international soul blogosphere, was just the first step in a remarkable story of personal and creative transformation.

In the great DeBarge tradition, most of Second Chance is concerned with matters of the heart, but El's own tribulations and lessons echo through many of the songs. “Joyful,” he says, is about “embracing the struggle, not trying to resist, and knowing that you’re going to win—not just thinking that you can win, but that you will.” The impassioned “Sad Song,” produced by Christian "Davis" Stalnecker, resonates with “what I’ve gone through in relationships, some of my heartbreak,” according to DeBarge. “Things I’ve lost to drugs, relationships damaged, and also everyday situations, just somebody treating somebody wrong.

“Making this album, I felt like I was seeing a flower or feeling the sun shine for the first time,” says El DeBarge. “I feel like a brand new artist, like I just came out to Hollywood from Grand Rapids, Michigan and I’m looking for a record contract—and I’m just as hungry as I was when I started out.”






TOUR DATES:
Dec 2 Dallas - Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
Dec 3 Memphis - MidSouth Fair at Desoto Civic Center