BY A. SCOTT GALLOWAY – Music Editor

If you've seen the video for "ifyouleave," the first single from Musiq Soulchild's latest 12-song CD OnMyRadio (in-stores now), it's a perfect summary of who he is as an artist – a progenitor of classy contemporary R&B respected enough to pull the very best talent into his sphere (in this case duet partner Mary J. Blige) and with penchant for telling real life love stories…some with happy endings and others not so much. The man born Taalib Johnson in Philadelphia has been representing on a national level since the release of his acclaimed debut Aijuswanaseing at the top of the millennium in 2000. And on the day of this interview, he was in serious grind mode when we spoke to him about his latest release, one he intends to break him out to a wider audience beyond the so-called Neo-Soul niche of which he has been a star contributor to "the standard."

To get his new music heard beyond the "radio" of which he speaks about with such passion on the interview that follows, Musiq provided the option for fans and the curious alike to listen to the album in its entirety free via BET.com's Transmission. He had just performed with Ice Cube (doing the rapper's song "Why Me") on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show," and was preparing to perform at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem on the release date of his album as part of the Heineken Legend Series. Before he hopped on the plane, this is what he had to say about OnMyRadio, his fifth album overall and second for Atlantic Records.

Q: Elaborate on the concept behind your album title OnMyRadio.

A: I titled the album OnMyRadio because a lot of people listen to the radio, even people who aren't avid Musiq fans. No matter where you are, radio exposes you to music because it's a public thing. I want my music to be exposed to as many people as possible, so the forum for me to be on is radio. When I put this project together, I was thinking in two mindsets. One was to incorporate the sound of what most people are listening to on the radio…so I can be considered in that same category of people who are heard on the radio. Second, there are things I don't hear on black radio that I'd like to bring to it from the lane of what I do - to incorporate other sounds and feels and vibes and formulas to inspire people on other musical perspectives.

I don't want people to think that I'm just going to make the same kind of music all the time. I'm capable of that and I love what I've been doing, but there is so much more out there to do. I want people to know that there's more to me than what they've been exposed to. Radio remains a very important forum for anybody that wants to be heard in music. It's free!

Q: Is radio still the primary way you personally hear new music?

A: I fall into the category of people actively looking for fresh, unheard of, gotta-dig-for-it type of music that the average person wouldn't have time to do because they have other things that they're concerned about. In a small way, I have a responsibility to bring good music to people who want it. I assume that responsibility. That means I have to understand what's out there to get a sense of what's good and not good. I don't think it's fair to just come from my own personal perspective. That means I have to search to find out what's out there, especially the stuff that's not being heard on a wider scale. There are a lot of people out there doing good things, so I try to use my celebrity to bring attention to it that they can't do on their own. They can use me as somebody who understands what they're trying to do and be a bridge - a communicator to match them to people looking for what they have to offer, but don't know where to look for it.

I'm assuming responsibility to do what I can do to bring good music to people, even if people don't believe I'm the person to bring it to them. Maybe I can bring your attention to someone else that can.

Q: Are there any new writers or artists you're trying to introduce through your latest album?

A: I did the song "radio" with a new producer out of Atlanta named Dru Castro. I also did a song called "sobeautiful" with a producer out of L.A. named "J.R." Hutson. They both deserve wider attention. I also worked with Warryn Campbell (a.k.a. "Baby Dubb"), a really good friend of mine that I feel after all this time is still highly underrated.

Q: "radio" is the most different sounding song on the album for you. It's got a real quirky Crunk sound and a lot of crossover appeal.

A: The elements in that song are different for me but not for radio. That's my point. I just wanted to get out of this restrictive state that I've been put in. I'm not going to say that was unfortunate because it has served me well and I'm grateful, but as an artist I want to be free to do other things for more people. I want to entertain people who like things other than what I've been doing. There are people I know that all they listen to is Crunk music. They might not listen to anything else on my CD but "radio." That's what resonates on their radar. It's not fair to expect me to not want to entertain those people. I want to make music for everybody.

Q: By you ending the album with that song, it will leave listeners anticipating that you'll be doing more unexpected things the next time around.

A: I definitely need people to be paying as much attention as possible. And what I don't need them to be is expecting that they already know what I'm going to do. The only thing I want people to expect is that whatever I choose to do is going to be quality good music - not because I say so but because of the effort I put forth to insure that it is good work according to my standards. I cross reference a lot of things according to what's out there and what people are listening to.

Q: Tell me about working with your two special guests Mary J. Blige (on "ifyouleave") and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley (on "iwannabe").

A: I picked Damian Marley because I wanted a Caribbean feel. Who better than a Caribbean artist to bring that, and who better than Damian Marley?

As far as "ifyouleave," that was just a matter of questioning. After the song was done, my people and I collectively thought the song had a vibe that Mary would be perfect for. So we reached out to her and one thing led to another. I really, really appreciate her being a part of that song.

Q: I dug the way you interpolated Marvin Gaye's "Funky Space Reincarnation" on "until."

A: That was a unique vibe that you don't hear much anymore - the way music was produced and the vibe that was cultivated by A Tribe Called Quest and Slum Village, only I took a singer's approach. Song content-wise, I wanted to use a formula that Stevie Wonder used in the song "As" - being really dramatic in explaining how deep my love goes. Basically it's a song about transcending space and time in a poetically extreme way.

Q: Your collaboration with PJ Morton, "dearjohn," was also intriguing in that it tells a story with you setting up the song with the woman hurrying up to get ready for an encounter then getting a message from you about breaking up - which is the song itself - followed by her leaving a succession of messages on your voicemail that reveal her going through the emotional stages of letting go.

A: I wanted to have an element of dialogue and theatre on "dearjohn." I'll be doing a lot more of that from now on. I started doing it as early as "Soulstar" on my third album. It gives people a better perspective of how to listen to what they're listening to as opposed to it taking them a while to understand what's going on in the song. I spoon-fed this story to them so they wouldn't have to think so much. They can go straight to enjoying it because they clearly understand what's happening.

That's a sense that I've acquired from watching movies. I love how movies are set up and the idea of a good story. That's why on "dearjohn" I had the intro, the outro and the song itself. I need people to understand that I'm merely sound-tracking their life experiences. People break up every day all the time. I want people to be able to apply what they're hearing in real time and not think that it's something so far-fetched that they can't dig on it.

Q: What I found refreshing is that even though "dearjohn" could be perceived as a sad song, ultimately it's positive because it lets you know this happens all the time. People are going to get a lot out of that particular song.

A: I just don't like making breakup songs so damn sad. It's a reality. I think people just put way too much on it. Yeah, it hurts. It's supposed to hurt! However, you can get over it eventually. I just wanted to share a realistic approach. Not every relationship comes to a happy ending.

Q: You also made shrewd use of your falsetto at a key point in "dearjohn." It wasn't even the end of the song, but you hit a nice peak 3/4 in. I also dug how you segue from "loveofmylife" into "moneyright" simply by accelerating the tempo.

A: Thank you. My intention is for people to listen to the album straight through from start to finish. It's important for songs to be sequenced a certain way so that people get more out of the experience. I don't just put all the songs I think are bangers at the top then everything else at the end. On my albums, I think all of the songs are going to be appreciated. They just need to be set up a certain way to hear them in a specific flow. One song sets up the other vibe-wise in contrast to each other.

If you notice, none of the songs sound alike. That was intentionally done so that you don't get that horrible feeling that you've been listening to the same song over and over again. You get more for your money because there's more going on. You can listen to it on repeat without getting tired of it because there's so much variety.

Q: I hear so many artists say they recorded between 40 and 60 songs before cutting it down to what ends up on the album. What is that process like for you and was it any different this time compared to your previous four albums?

A: On this album we cut between 20 and 30 then brought it down to 12. That always happens. You could easily record up to 100 songs, but that's a good thing. If you take the best 12 out of 100 songs, you're going to have 12 truly potent songs. Sometimes you can record for a couple of months and everything that you do just feels right. On my last album Luvanmusiq, I recorded 80 songs and had to pick 12 out of that. Most of those were songs I sat and wrote with different writers and producers. Others were things that were presented to me, I tried them but for whatever reason they didn't work out. I think artists should record as much as they can because you're always inspired. There's always something new that you want to do or talk about.

A final point I want to make to the people is this. I know I'm an artist and in this business to sell music. And I know there is something to be said for repetition and consistency. But I'm a human being and I change - from my perspective of life to what I want to share as far as my feelings. I may not feel the same way about certain situations as I felt on the last album. Hopefully I can maintain something familiar so that I don't alienate my core audience, but the reality of life is change. I hope that people are willing to change with me.