Michael B. Sutton releases the grown-up groove “Sexual”

Singer/Songwriter Michael B. Sutton has mischievously taken some sultry musical steps to ensure that amorous couples can postpone using electric blankets this Fall with his sho’ `nuff soulful grown folks’ groove, “Sexual.” Lyrically, this most righteous jam is the more up-tempo answer record to Marvin Gaye’s 5 A.M. morning lovin’ classic “Sexual Healing,” playing like a latter-days Johnnie Taylor on Malaco Records sock-feet house par-tay kind of groove! Musically, most people will liken the song to a modern spin on James Brown, The J.B.’s and Horny Horns maestro Fred Wesley’s 1973 Funk nugget “Doing it to Death (We’re Gonna Have a Funky Good Time)!”

Michael B. Sutton

Asked precisely what the inspiration for composing the song and the seventy-something singer chuckles while confessing, “Having a young wife! I have always liked that J.B.’s groove so I decided to write something to it that’s sexy but not degrading – something natural…magical…electrical! I wrote it some years ago with singer/actress/playwright Wendy Young (daughter of famed “Mr. Ed” TV show actor Alan Young). I wanted to cut a set of steamy songs for my second CD so we wrote some including that one. However, I never completed the album, so the song went on the shelf. I started thinking about ‘Sexual’ again recently – for the reason I described above – so now I’ve finally recorded it…purposefully.”

More than a singer, Sutton is a hitmaking songwriter/producer who has written songs for Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and many more. He put all of his precious skills and some new ones to work at the service of “Sexual,” including handling the engineering mix himself. Michael is joined on the song by his lovely wife, Anissa who sings background vocals, Josh Sklar on guitar, James Manning on bass, Timbale Cornwell on percussion and Hiroshi Upshur on keys who also arranged the humorously cheesy ‘vintage’ synthesized horns and strings. Sutton also plays keyboards on the track which was mastered by James Forbes.

“Sexual” is the latest in a teasing string of singles leading to the two-decades-awaited release of Michael B. Sutton’s as-yet-untitled second album (his first since 2002’s Hopeless Romantic on which Wendy Young also co-wrote “Love Me Inside Out”). No doubt Indian Summer shall continue…between the sheets!