He calls it his “sunshine record.” He enjoys living in the Sunshine State and loves the ocean and the California cuisine. He is the lead singer of the iconic Brit-pop band The Charlatans, an accomplished DJ and a regular in the Los Angeles party scene. He is Tim Burgess, the man behind the voice that took “The Only One I Know” to the top of the UK charts in 1991.

I Believe is the title of his solo album, which he refers to as “my therapy.” “I did things in this record that I wouldn’t have been able to do with the band. It wouldn’t have been fair to inflict my own learning process on the band,” says Burgess. “Most of these songs are pretty selfish and I really wasn’t concerned with anyone else hearing it until it was finished.” And when asked what the rest of the band members thought of the album, he chuckled and said, “Some of them liked some of the songs and some of them didn’t really say anything.”

He admits that he’s learned a lot about himself and about his abilities during the making of this album. I Believe is a direct reflection of his time and lifestyle in his adopted home of Los Angeles. Everyday during the recording of this album, Burgess would take the two mile walk from his Hollywood apartment to his producer’s place. And everyday he was inspired by something new that he had seen or heard on the streets of Hollywood. It was definitely a space of complete creative freedom with “no fear at all,” he adds.

The album opens with “I Believe in the Spirit,” - a fun, groovy track with the sax leading the background instruments. “Only A Boy” is the ultimate upbeat pop song, but as Burgess himself describes it, “There’s quite a lot of self-doubt in there.” I still think that “Only A Boy” turned out to sound pretty optimistic for a song that’s all about regrets! “We All Need Love” is nostalgic and sounds like a more mature version of those good old pop songs in the late ‘80s. Inspired by Percy Faith’s “First Light,” Burgess added a little touch of the Clash’s “Spanish Bomb” and created a catchy rhythmic track called “Oh My Corazon.” The US listeners will also get three exclusive bonus tracks: an instrumental version of the opening track along with the reggae cover of “Who the Cap Fit?” and “Rough Time.” I Believe is truly the kind of record that you would either put on while driving along the PCH on a beautiful summer afternoon or when you are away and longing for the smell of the ocean, the burning sand, and the blue sky. This is one of those rare albums that are just as personal to you and me as they are to their creators.

Tim Burgess, our ultimate rocker and roller, describes opening for The Rolling Stones in the UK as one of the proudest moments of his career and admits to not believing in himself as much as he should have had in the past. He is now more confident and determined in pursuing that passionate musical eclecticism that’s not so easy to achieve in today’s structured world of music. From doing his solo album I Believe, forming his own imprint label Straight Trippin’, and working with The Charlatans for their next album to getting together with the Chemical Brothers, spinning at clubs and parties, and many more collaborations with other artists, Tim Burgess has proven to be a true musical chameleon. He has embraced change and alternative styles to break out of the limits of a categorized pop/rock band and outlived many of his contemporaries.