The Barefoot Years is the debut album from singer/songwriter emdee (Matthew Dickens). It is the first of a three CD series called The Barefoot Series. Critics call the voice smooth and silky, reminiscent of a 'male' Sade. This is heard in haunting melodies like Weeper's Lament, When a Child is Born, and the Stephen Bishop remake of Separate Lives (originally recorded by Phil Collins as the love theme from the soundtrack of the Barishnikov/Gregory Hines movie White Nights). emdee was born in France to an African-American father and a Filipino mother. They moved to America in time for school and landed in the Washington, DC area. Some of his early traing was done in the Drama Department at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Early music influences include Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, James Ingram, Glen Campbell, Nina Simone, The Eurythmics, Duncan Sheik and Earth, Wind and Fire, to name a few. He also played a little trumpet only to discover that his voice was his instrument. You won't want to miss being touched by the original melodies and lyrics of what is truly a poetic album endeavor. 'The Barefoot Years' refers to a period of growth in human life where one is seemingly barefoot, travailing through life...without shoes. Dividing the year between New York, Nashville and The Netherlands, he works annually with the Royal Dutch Air Force Orchestra, conceiving productions, singing, recording and touring (see link www.luchtmachtkapel.nl).