Celebrated singer, songwriter and thespian Chester Gregory celebrated his 50th birthday earlier this month. Before the artist who could be a poster child for the phrase "Black don't crack" opened his presents, though, he gave fans a gift from his musical alter ego C.H.E.S.S. with the release of the new project RETROGRADE (MOON), his debut album under that moniker.
We've been enjoying Chester as C.H.E.S.S. ever since we were introduced to him in 2013. Back then, he dropped a trio of covers – The Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why," Tears For Fears' "Mad World" and John Lennon's "Imagine" – that caught our attention, and he's kept it through the years with his original material. Now, after a string of singles and loosies, C.H.E.S.S. has packaged up a few and added some new tunes into the mix on RETROGRADE (MOON).
The album is described as "a sonic journey through the dark corners of ourselves that cause our relationships to fail." The introspective project was borne out of C.H.E.S.S.'s own journey of healing after betrayal, self-sabotage and lost love.
RETROGRADE (MOON) features the 2019 singles "The Doppler Effect (It's Me)" and "Throw (It) Back," which has gotten an updated flip on the "Satyr Black Revision." Amongst the new tracks are more soulful treats. C.H.E.S.S. flexes his vocal range on "Illusions (What Is This Pain?)," keeps it real on the biting kiss-off "TYFYGB" – an acronym meaning "Thank You, F**k You, Good Bye" just to give you an indication – and has some fun with astrology on "Zodiac Killa," his current single and latest music video.
Chester has amassed quite a following on Instagram and TikTok with his humourous astrological content, and "Zodiac Killa" follows in that vein. On the catchy bop he sings about a femme fatale and shares a few traits about each zodiac sign and why they need to avoid her based on his experience.
In the visual for "Zodiac Killa," C.H.E.S.S. directs and co-stars alongside actress/singer Loren Lott, who recently starred as the pop diva character "Simone" in Kirk Franklin's hit Lifetime Christmas movie The Night Before Christmas. Lott plays the title role in "Zodiac Killa" and hams it up with C.H.E.S.S. in the colorful clip. She wields a mean butcher knife, but she's more cute than she is threatening.
Dive into C.H.E.S.S.'s debut album RETROGRADE (MOON), and let him and Loren Lott entertain you in the "Zodiac Killa" music video below. In addition to Spotify, RETROGRADE (MOON) is available to stream on various digital music providers.
