Nobody's Fool But Mine

Album: Nobody's Fool (2023)
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Songfacts®:

  • Inspired by the R&B slow jams she grew up with in the '90s, soul singer Morgan James wrote this sexy ballad about working to support the man she loves, even though all her friends think he isn't worthy of her.
  • James told Songfacts she wanted to capture the "feel-good sound" of '90s albums from the likes of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson on Nobody's Fool, her fourth studio album. "I loved all that music so much," she said in the 2023 interview. "My first album, Hunter, is much more an R&B album. After doing a few straight-up soul albums to analog tape, we felt like we wanted to return to those R&B roots again. It makes me feel nostalgic in the best way."
  • James, who wrote and recorded the album with her husband, singer-songwriter Doug Wamble, explained how they approached Nobody's Fool differently than her analog records: "Though we were still tracked live with a full band and filled it with live ingredients, it has more programming and more sonic depth. I also recorded all of the layers of background vocals myself, to create rich soundscapes and moods. I think this is probably my most cohesive record from start to finish, and feels like it goes on an organic journey."
  • Ephraim Sykes, James' castmate from the 2013 Broadway production Motown: The Musical, plays her photographer boyfriend in the music video. After snapping several photos of the singer, he displays them in an art-gallery showing with their friends in attendance. The clip was directed by Kevin Newbury, who also worked with James on earlier videos for "White Christmas" and "The Sweetest Sound."
  • Before establishing herself as a solo artist, Morgan James appeared in several Broadway shows, including Godspell, Motown: The Musical, and The Addams Family. In 2012, she signed a deal with Epic Records and issued her first studio album, Hunter, two years later.

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