"I'm very thankful for the opportunity to work with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis," says Ruben. "They really cared what I thought the album should be. They understand it's the artist's record. We spent hours talking about music, family and playing video games before we recorded anything - it was their way of getting to know me before we worked together in the studio. By the time we made the album, we were friends, and what could be better than working with your friends?"
The original songs on the album include several tracks co-written by Ruben. "I went to Nashville and wrote with Tom Shapiro and Bob DiPiero. Between them, they have written 36 No. 1 songs. We wrote 'My Love Is A Rock,' which is one of the strongest love songs I've heard in a long time." While he was in Nashville, Ruben also wrote "That's Enough" with Bill Luther and Barry Dean, a song with the message that with everything going on the world, love is enough.
Ruben wrote two very personal songs on Love IS. The first is "Footprints In The Sand," a tune that Studdard crafted after watching and being moved following the news coverage of Barack Obama's Presidential campaign. States Ruben: "I wanted to write a song that reflected my feelings about seeing a black person run for President." The second song on the album with a very personal meaning for Ruben is "A Song For Her," which he wrote with Terry Lewis and John Jackson. "I wrote that song for my wife, Surata," says Ruben. Ruben and Surata were married in June of 2008.
The album's first single, "Together," was produced by the Stargate team, along with the track "That's How You Make Me Feel." The cover versions on the album include remakes of the classic Al Green song "For The Good Times", Extreme's classic hit "More Than Words", Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It " and Johnnie Taylor's "Just Because".
"Everywhere I go, people tell me they can't wait for me to record an album of love songs, In many ways, this is the album my fans have been asking for and I'm really excited for them to hear it," states Studdard.
Ruben's first album, "Soulful," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. His second release, "I Need An Angel," topped Billboard's gospel chart and was the magazine's best-selling gospel album of the year. His third album, "The Return," marked Ruben's return to the top 10 of The Billboard 200 and included the single, "Change Me," which spent an impressive eight weeks at No. 1 on the Adult R&B survey.
Ruben is currently on the road performing in the show Ain't Misbehavin and has recently become involved with a program called Be Sickle Smart, a community health program that educates people about the Sickle Cell Disease and a potentially life-threatening condition called iron overload. He will be making a number of appearances across the U.S beginning in June to lend support and raise awareness about the disease.
Studdard also performed his single "Together" on American Idol on March 26th on their "50 Years Of Motown" program.
