·December 23, 2022·5 min read

The Official 4pm – Some Of The Time | Timeless Music

R&B veterans The Official 4pm have some brand new fiery music up their sleeve with their latest single Some Of The Time. 4 P.M. is an acronym meaning ‘For Positive Music’ meaning the band’s music would not contain explicit lyrics, does not promote violence, and does not degrade women. They entered the annals of music history with their cover version of “Sukiyaki” which peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1995.

The song contains well produced and processed electronic synth vocals with some distinct sounds. There is a prominent pulsating bass line. With their signature sonic feel, perform their beautiful and pleasant vocal harmonies. Featuring some stunning production with smooth jazzy chords, the song talks of love and its tribulations with trivial things in a relationship. Great work by The Official 4pm!

Soulful and emotive vocals, accompanied by a simple yet powerful arrangement are the strength of the song. The song’s catchy hook and lyrics about the complexities of love give it a classic feel, and its musical idiom is a testament to the timeless appeal of the song and the band. The song’s intricate harmonies, which are beautifully layered and perfectly executed, are a key component of its appeal, and they add depth and emotional depth to the overall sound of the song.

This is the first single from their upcoming album A Song For Everyone which we will be releasing Spring of 2023. With their unique brand of soul and R&B coupled with their pristine vocal harmony wizardry, Some Of The Time by The Official 4pm is an irresistible song.

We get to speak to Roberto, Larry, and Ray from the group.

I bet the inspiration of the song is from real life, tell us more!
Most definitely! Anyone that’s been in a relationship should be able to relate. We all have fallen head over heels in love with a person but as time passes we realize that there are moments when we simply can’t stand each other! True Love is when we learn to communicate, respect one another’s feelings and not sweat the small stuff.
You have had an illustrious musical journey with your cover of Sukiyaki hitting the top of the Billboard charts. What are the differences you feel from the 90s versus today in terms of music and the industry?
Technology is definitely the game changer! Back then it was all about big Record Labels, million dollar studios that few had access to … big budget video shoots and promoting your music was going out to radio stations, record stores all over the US and the world. Artists today can record an entire album in the comfort of their bedroom studio, shoot a video with their iPhone and promote their music world wide through social media! They do not know the struggle! Lol!
Are there any modern artists you like from today’s music?
Absolutely! There’s Kevin Ross, H.E.R., Silk Sonic, Megan Trainor, Charlie Puth, Ella Mai, Muni Long, Giveon, Sam Smith, Adele … there are quite a few that we really enjoy!
How has the process of recording the album been with JB of Red Room Recordings
Fantastic! Finding JB and Red Room Recordings is one of the many Blessings we have received during this process! JB aka James Bailey is one of those guys that has a network of resources to help make things happen. From introducing us to our producer extraordinaire Hookmaster Jaz and our talented videographer Yikes Lee he has been much more than the guy that owns the studio … he’s been a mentor.
You were on the verge of starting the recording and pre-production phase before covid hit, what was the experience doing music during the pandemic’s heyday?
Wow! The Pandemic actually delayed this entire process! Had it not been for Covid our plan was to release our first new single back in the Spring of 2020! Fortunately though, the lock down ended up being even more motivation for us to do everything in our power to put together the best collection of songs we could for this project. We pulled a handful of songs from the vault, did some tweaks on lyrics and melodies to make sure they were perfect and we wrote another handful of brand new songs for the upcoming album A Song For Everyone which we will be releasing Spring of 2023.
You music is rooted in pristine melodies and you started as an acapella group, what do you feel about the genres of R&B and soul and its musical ethos?
We have always been fans of songs that use lyrics and melodies to tell the story. A person should listen to a song and it should evoke some type of emotional response! Laugh, cry, reminisce, etc. We would never want someone to listen to one of our songs and say The beat was cool but what were they talking about? Since none of us ever learned how to play an instrument we honed our craft singing Acapella. We had to make sure our vocals were on point, the story was clear and the melody was 🔥
I came across that you children are part of your team, that must be amazing! Also, tell us about your plans for the promotion of the upcoming album!
Our children were very young (a few weren’t even born) when Sukiyaki came out! Now they are grown men and women with multiple talents and an eye/ear to this new generations tastes, how they think and how they act. We need that knowledge so we are fortunate it’s already part of the family!
Going into this project the question was what do we want to accomplish with this second go at breaking into the Industry? We put the following on our vision board:
- See our name back on Billboards Top Ten list
- Another world wide tour (this time around we hit all of Europe which we didn’t get to do)
- Perform at a major industry award show
  (Billboard, AMA’s, Grammys, …)
- Start the Blessed and Grateful Foundation so that we can join other charitable organizations in the effort to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, help the underprivileged get back on their feet.
- Continue to bring good, positive vibes through our music! We plan on releasing multiple singles and videos throughout the new year. Stay tuned!