"I would like to think I'm a representative of Generation X as far as relationships go, talking about the ups and downs, the break-ups and all the things that people don’t understand about love," says Salter, whose subjects and sound in songs like "Give Me My Baby" and "On My Heart" are mature enough to cut across age lines. While "Give Me My Baby" explores what happens to a young man when he is smitten by love, "On My Heart" tries to dispel doubts a woman might have about love. But the album’s first melodic, blue-lights-in-the-basement single "After 12 Before 6" is the saga of a career-track Generation Xer who has a hard time balancing time between his work and his woman. "It’s about a young man working very hard to get where he wants to be professionally," explains Salter, who co-wrote 8 of 12 songs on the album with his production team made up of producers Christopher "Tricky" Stewart & Sean "Sep" Hall (Brownstone, The Braxtons, Aaron Hall), and writers Laney Stewart and Tab Nkhereanye (who also co-manages Sam with Mark Stewart/MES Entertainment). "In the meantime, his girlfriend is calling him, sweating him about not spending enough time with her. He’s saying, ‘Hold on, I’ll give you time, but right now I’m trying to get to where I need to be in my career. ’" Then, there’s the title track "It’s On Tonight," a sexy bass-driven compilation with a contagious hook that let’s women know that there’s always an alternative to bad relationships. "If you spent last night cryin’ on your pillow/ It’s on tonight/ If he leaves you hangin’ on the weekends/ It’s on tonight," sings Salter in that soon-to-be signature sultry voice, demonstrating his ability to take waiting-to-exhale subject matter and make it apply to teenagers as well as the adult crowd.

Like many, this young upstart artist hungers for the sample free days of R&B when musicians like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Aretha Franklin created compositions that stirred the souls of the nation. "Back in the day, people would sing and you could get into different emotions," says the 19-year-old Los Angeles native. "I think [now] people concentrate more on getting into a groove. They don’t pay as much attention in the studio to what they’re doing vocally or production-wise." Considering Salter’s musical influences Stevie Wonder, Babyface, Commission and John P. Kee it’s not hard to see why this entertainer looks at music with a sensibility beyond his years.

For Salter, separating himself from the clutter of today’s sexually-explicit materialism prevalent in much of today’s music is not intentional -- it’s his modus operandi. "I’d like to think that what I put into my songs will make me stand out. I put myself into my songs sort of like an actor who puts himself into the role to make sure it will come off on film," says Salter, the second oldest of six siblings. "That’s what I do when I get a song. I read the lyrics; I go through it and put myself into the mood of the song, so that when I get behind the mike it’s magic."

Part of that magic is rooted in the pews of Los Angeles based Faithful Church of God in Christ, where Salter developed his gospel-tinged, mature sound. Another aspect of it stems from what the Reseda High School graduate learned after his participation in annual talent shows. Two years in a row he lost; his third year he won second place. But his senior year, his rendition of H-Town’s "Knockin’ the Boots" won first place and Salter’s tenacity paid off in the pricely amount of $30 his cash prize for winning the top slot.

That determination also placed him on the fast track to LaFace Records when his demo reached the desk of LaFace Records' Co-president Antonio "L.A." Reid, who quickly signed the melodious, manchild balladeer and packed him off to Atlanta. "Sam Salter is the epitome of soul," says Reid. "He is truly a song’s friend. His voice is so rich and his emotion is so pure. Salter is the finest vocalist that I’ve ever worked with." In agreeance is Reid’s partner LaFace Co-president Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. "It’s been quite some time since we’ve experienced a vocalist as diverse and charismatic as Sam Salter. He has a style and talent that has long been missed in the music world. He can sing a ballad with smooth vocals that leave you with a mellow feeling. When I grow up I wanna sing just like Sam."