Taking the challenge of recording their first album head on, the group explores new terrain on the eclectic "Let's Roll." Though the disc is filled with tender pop-R&B ballads that display Youngstown's pitch-perfect harmonies, there are also plenty of musical surprises. Their premiere single, "I'll Be Your Everything" -- also featured on the "Inspector Gadget" soundtrack - is an instantly addictive uptempo number. "Pedal to the Steel," which showcases the rapping skills of Kenan & Kel star Kel Mitchell, threads a searing electric guitar riff around a funky tune about a wild night on the town. And "Dance Floor" takes the group from the studio right into the club with its pulsing rhythms. "Basically, what we love we try to put into our music," Dallas says.
The threesome, who are based in Youngstown, Ohio (hence the name), have been working on their craft individually since they were teenagers. Dallas, who's 24, met 23-year-old DC through mutual friends several years ago. When Part 4, Dallas' original group, needed a fifth member to complete their harmonies, DC was brought on board. Eventually, they moved to Atlanta to jump-start their music career. But when the other members of the group quit to pursue other avenues, Dallas and DC were left to figure out their next move. That's when Sammy, at 21 the youngest member of the trio, entered the picture. He already knew the guys from Youngstown, and during a visit to his mom in Atlanta he learned that they were looking for a new member. "I was like, 'Yo, I want to do music, so let's do this,'" recalls Sammy. "It wasn't like we were put together," concurs DC. "We did it ourselves."
Instantly, the newly formed Youngstown started a songwriting partnership. "We pretty much hibernated ourselves for a good year and a half and just started writing and built our own little studio and just started vibing," says Sammy. The fruits of their labor can be heard all over "Let's Roll." Besides demonstrating their considerable vocal talents, Dallas, Sammy, and DC cowrote five tracks on the album. "Dallas would play a melody and as soon as we'd hear it we'd all sit down and then, boom, the lyrics were on the paper," explains DC about their rapid writing process. Adds Sammy, "We work really well together. Pretty much everything comes naturally."
"Remember," a piano-driven ballad about a love gone wrong, is the song that began it all. "That was the first song that we ever wrote together," Sammy says. "We looked at each other like, 'Wow, we really have something here.' Every time that song comes on, it brings back memories from when we first started out." "Whenever You Need Me" is a personal group favorite because it seamlessly blends the styles of their musical influences, from Prince to Brian McKnight. Other self-penned songs are the romantic "Through Your Eyes" and the cascading slow jam "Angel."
The track on "Let's Roll" that is closest to Dallas' heart is "Jamie Lee," a tribute to his mom. "My mother calls me Jamie Lee. I wanted to write a song to let my mom know that even though she never made the most perfect decisions, I know she tried to do the best for us at all times," he reveals. "And that includes sacrificing her happiness to try to give us what she thought we needed."
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Dallas was a hip-hop dancer before trying his hand at singing. A talented guitarist and pianist (Dallas plays piano on three of "Let's Roll"'s tracks), Dallas is the self-described music fiend of the group. He also coproduced several of the album's tracks and, according to DC, can usually be found "on his guitar, strumming away."
Youngstown, Ohio, boy DC didn't take his vocal talents seriously until his late teens. That's when he launched into performing at talent shows and singing favorites like the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" at karaoke bars. "Whenever I'd get the chance I'd sing," he explains. DC cites artists "with longevity" like Michael Jackson, Babyface, and even Metallica as inspirations. When he's not testing himself at PlayStation, he loves to play hackey sack or go rollerblading.
Sammy, who hails from Rochester, New York, considers his family his main reason for making music. "Everybody in my family was taught young to play an instrument. All of my cousins, my uncles, my parents, play instruments and sing," he says. "It rubbed off on me." When he was four years old, Sammy was already banging away on his Muppets drum set. And singing has always been a part of his life - he participated in youth choirs and sang solos throughout his school years. A devoted athlete, Sammy works out five days a week (basketball is his real passion). He's also an avid reader.
The pop moods, R&B grooves, and funked-up rhythms of "Let's Roll" prove that Youngstown are no flash-in-the-pan studio creation. As for Dallas, Sammy, and DC, they've got one goal in mind: to move people with their music. "As long as some of our songs touch other people, that's cool with us," DC explains. "We just want to be onstage and watch people singing our songs. That would be the best feeling in the world."
