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Corey Glover back in Living Colour

Calabro Music Media

Living Colour will perform its mix of metal, punk, jazz and funk Wednesday at Bourbon Street in New Port Richey.

By CURTIS ROSS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 10, 2009

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Seeing the film "Jesus Christ Superstar" at age 8 set Corey Glover on his course.

"It really changed my whole perspective on things," Glover says. "I knew I wanted be an actor and sing. I knew that's what I was gonna be."

And so he did, scoring roles in films such as "Platoon" and most prominently becoming the lead vocalist for Living Colour, the hard rock band whose "Vivid" became a late-'80s sensation thanks to hit single "Cult of Personality."

But Glover's dream come true occurred in 2006 when he joined the touring cast of "Jesus Christ Superstar," taking the role of Judas Iscariot.

"It's something I wanted to do my whole life," says Glover, who was especially thrilled to share the stage with Ted Neeley, who played Christ in the 1973 film version of the musical.

Judas, Glover says, "is the protagonist of the show. He's the one who explains to the audience what's going on."

Glover stepped down from the role late last year to return to Living Colour, which will release its fifth album, "The Chair in the Doorway," on Tuesday.

Far from being exhausted from the "Jesus Christ Superstar" experience, Glover came into the "Doorway" sessions ready to roll.

"I've been singing eight days a week. I'm good and ready to sing," Glover says. "I've been training my voice for the past two years, and that's what I came into when we started making the record."

It's the second album for Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid, bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Will Calhoun since reactivating as a recording unit with 2003's "Collideoscope."

The quartet split in 1995 -- sort of.

"Supposedly the band broke up, but we all played together in different combinations," Glover says. "So I think we decided, 'Let's do something. Let's play together again and see what happens.'"

Much of the album was hashed out during Glover's breaks from "Superstar."

"Even when I was in 'Superstar,' I was going out and playing with Living Colour on my off time," Glover says. "We would take all these grooves we came up with during sound checks and put them together in the studio."

The band worked with long-time collaborator Ron St. Germain to make an album Glover calls a "labor of love."

Living Colour's socially conscious lyrics remain intact, and the band manages to add still new sounds to its mix of metal, punk, jazz and funk, performed by three of the most monstrously talented musicians in rock.

"I'm pretty much spoiled for any other rhythm section that exists," Glover says. "I'm just amazed at what goes on behind me. Sometimes I stop and just watch."