seven venues

In many ways, R&B singer Eric Benet's latest album, "Love & Life," is a walk down memory lane. Benet wanted to pay tribute to the various eras of R&B on his new project.

"I knew that I wanted to make an album that almost felt like an homage to R&B ... where you could hear the different layers of different eras, if you will, of contemporary R&B going back to the '70s, '80s and the '90s," said Benet, born Eric Benet Jordan 41 years ago. "I knew I wanted it to feel like that."

Home is where the heart is so he collaborated again with his "crew" -- longtime production partner Demonte Posey and Benet's cousin, writer/producer George Nash Jr. Formerly married to Halle Berry, Benet also returned to his hometown of Milwaukee to record "Love & Life."

"Because I wanted to go back to the roots of R&B, it seemed to be a matter of course that I would go back to my roots and be inspired by the streets where I walked with my first girlfriend, or where I got my first kiss, or learned how to ride a bike the first time," Benet said. "I just wanted to soak up some of that nostalgic energy from where it all started."

Once settled in Milwaukee, Benet completely opened his heart, something that comes easy for him. "My process has always been just going into my heart," Benet said. "When I write songs, it's almost like when I'm hearing the song for the first time it's like it's already been written. It's almost like I'm hearing the song in its completion and it's just a matter of translating that." His happiness is reflected in the album's title. He said he's enjoying love and life these days, therefore, it shines on "Love & Life." It also helped that his label, Friday/Reprise/Warner Bros., gave him complete creative control over his work. "I have always been the kind of songwriter where I write about what's living and what I'm feeling at the moment," Benet said. "I definitely have a feeling of just being happy, kind of being upbeat. That's where I am right now." Besides his former life in Milwaukee, Benet was inspired by his 16-year-old daughter, India, whose mother died in an automobile accident in 1993. "My daughter inspires me in every aspect of my life," Benet said. "My daughter inspires me to be a better man, a better father, to work harder. The unconditional love that we have for each other is definitely the most beautiful form of love I've ever experienced in my life. Something that pure and uncut and unconditional is inspiring in so many ways." When Benet performs live at the City Theatre on Wednesday he said he hopes fans can feel the positive energy that emanates from his music. "I would hope that my live show is a source of positive energy," said Benet, who also said to encourage readers to vote. "There's so much that we could choose to worry about and bring us down. Even if you look at the music scene, there's so many -- I want to say -- not uplifting lyrics and musical energy out there. I hope they just take away some [positive energy] and take away the fact that I'm an artist that's been true to my game since I started, hence naming my first album 'True to Myself.' "I've never really tried to chase the sound of the moment. I just stay true to me. And try to recreate emotions through music and in turn hopefully reach people through some positive energy and then walk away with that."

Ticket info:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0100411AE9207B7A?artistid=780717&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=202