Fire
	Deep In Love

Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.

– author Henry Miller from his work entitled “The Wisdom of the Heart”

There are a myriad of reasons as to why this quote was chosen to begin, not only this New Year of 2006 here at Highergroundonline.com, but also this particular article on this particular artist. Allow me to tell you a short story to try and explain some of them. Hopefully, the artist won’t mind because the reality of this story is better than any tale that I could make up.

October 2004 - I was shopping at one of the 3 malls within 20 minutes of my home in suburban New Jersey, as I was looking for some last minute clothing items for the upcoming Homecoming festivities at my alma-mater, North Carolina A&T State University. My female shopping consultant for the day and I entered a footwear and apparel store that I normally check when I am looking for something a little different from the norm.

As we entered the store, she immediately stopped in her tracks. Instead of the requisite “hip-hop and r&b” chart-toppers that are the usual soundtracks to such establishments, the sounds of Raheem Devaughn’s “Street Experience Volume 3” was blaring out of the speakers. Needless to say she was surprised, considering she had recently relocated from his native Washington D.C. and was an avid follower of his music. Simply put, someone in this store had some new music from one of her favorite artists, and she was going to find out how and where to get it.

She asked the guy who had been helping me with some potential purchases, and it turned out to be his CD. We all met, talked about some music and I copped a pair of kicks and a jacket from him.

June 2005 – The African American Heritage Festival in Baltimore, MD. Among the many great artists at the festival (see an upcoming article as I just found my photos over the holidays), I was particularly curious about checking out Eric Roberson. My partner here at HGO, Leonard Jackson, had done an article on him, but I had just never taken the time get into his music. Well, at about the 5-minute mark of his set, two things occurred: 1) I was sold as far as being an Erro fan, and 2) I realized his background singer looked very familiar.

After the set, I met Erro, chopped it up and found out he had been on the site 3 days prior. I then asked him where his background singer was. As I was walking back into the crowd, I ran right into him. I never forget a face, and this time was no different. It was the same cat from the mall. This time we talked about “his” music and he gave me a CD to check out. I told him I would be in touch and we parted ways. On the ride home from B-more back to Jersey, I popped in the CD. By song 3, I knew I was hearing something special. I popped the CD back out to read the Sharpie handwritten name on disc as I am bad with names. But from that moment on, I have not forgotten this one; and the name written on the CD was Peter Hadar.

Now that’s as real as it gets folks.

In the time since those occurrences, I have literally been “following” the 28 year-old singer/songwriter, seeing him perform in 3 different states. Originally from Newark, New Jersey and now residing in Harlem, NYC, he is almost complete with his debut album “Memories of the Heart” coming out independently. After studying and learning the game from his mentor and friend, the aforementioned Eric Roberson, Hadar is set to carve his own niche in Soul Music landscape. With well-written, clever, emotionally driven lyrics, relatable subject matter, catchy melodies and a stellar voice to deliver it all, Peter is one of the most polished unsigned acts that I have come across in a long time.

His range of influences and as a songwriter is glaringly apparent on the advance of “Memories.” With the braggadocio and swagger of “Fire”, Hadar speaks to any naysayers of his talent, begging the question “If I’m not hot/then what about my fire then?” This track, with its hard-hitting drums and chord progressions is the perfect Track #1 to lay a foundation for him as an artist and for the rest of the album as he declares:

“They say I sound like Ja(heim) or D’(angelo)/Or even Erro, possibly/I just am like M-E/And because I’m dope as cocaine/Showing me love brings you pain/As your girl sings songs that I arrange…”

With that song, his impact is immediately felt.

The project is a nice mixture of styles of music and writing. His thematic writing is demonstrated on tracks like the ‘crime’ inspired “Wanted,” with lyrics like “Girl stop buggin’/You need to report to me for great loving/It’s a crime and you need cuffing/If you plan to look this good from here on in/Girl, you gon’ hear sirens/As they chase you down the block like you stole something…” The same can be said for the futuristically funky “Make It Rain” as a lovemaking session is turned into a weather report.

The album title “Memories of the Heart” is quite apropos as the various stages and forms of love are a recurring theme throughout the project. From initial attraction with “Dance With Me” and “Need Some Love” to the admiration of the beauty of one’s partner on “Incredible” to the downturn of relationships with the laid back ‘stepper’s cut’ “Laugh Together”, the syncopated melancholy of “Wish They Were Lying” and the remorseful “I Didn’t Learn” where Hadar speaks of a reminiscing about a drama-filled past relationship sparked by finding some old photographs.

Peter also shows quite a bit of musical range as both broken-beat and drum and bass influences can be felt on the tracks “Deep In Love” and “What Lovers Do” respectively. The album gives the listener an eclectic mix of styles and textures throughout and also paints a musical portrait of its composer and his distinct approach to creating his art.

Now the quote. The series of events described above which inevitably led to this article helped solidify my belief that there is a true purpose for the vision that Leonard and I had almost 3 years ago when we started HGO. It accurately describes the last 12 months for me personally and my hiatus from the site as well as for Leonard when he continued to persevere in my absence. The crazy thing was that I never stopped working completely because there was something inside telling me I couldn’t; neither of us could.

Peter Hadar is the reason for this site. He and artists like him, who have a destiny that they must follow. Not only a talented artist, he is the personification of what we here at HGO are about. There is something special about him, his music, his outlook on his future and his approach to the business he is a part of. And I knew it the first time I heard what was contained on that handwritten disc.

Peter Hadar's album “Memories of the Heart” coming soon.

Check his website at www.peterhadar.com