I Loved Working With Cindy Mizelle and Nils Lofgren on Ain’t The Truth Enough Video

“Neal, Who?” I initially said when my friend, Cindy Mizelle, called to ask for my help on a video shoot for Nils Lofgren’s Ain’t The Truth Enough music video. My music taste runs from retro Disco and 80s R&B to house music and Euro-pop. When she called, I was probably listening to either the Emotions (Best Of My Love) or Aretha Franklin (Jump To It).
But what kind of idiot turns down working with the multi-talented, beautiful Cindy Mizelle??? She’s one of my favorite vocalists of all time. Cindy and I worked together with Luther Vandross. Cindy was one of Luther’s longtime backing vocalists on tour and his records. She used to do a step-out on the song, Going In Circles with Luther’s Songs Tour.

Cindy also lent her stunning vocals to my dance anthem, That Man Of Mine, in the 90s, co-written and produced by Keith Harrmeyer. Watching Cindy Mizelle do her thing in front of a microphone was life-changing. Within seconds, I witnessed her switch phrasing and tones to wrap her voice beautifully around the melody.

She has also worked with Whitney Houston, Steely Dan, Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Ocean, and Dave Matthews Band.
I designed several sets of tour costumes for Dave’s Lovely Ladies (Tawatha Agee, Brenda White-King, and Cindy) in the 2000s. The picture above features costumes with reversible skirts to mix and match. My ideas seem heavy-handed today, especially pairing check prints, bold stripes, and vinyl ruffles. But the idea was to create bold statement pieces that they could pair with other clothing to create their looks.

I’m not the only person who loves and admires Cindy. Mariah Carey praises many singers in her new memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, but she’s particularly effusive about her. “To me, she was one of the absolute greatest,” writes Carey. “Cindy Mizelle was the background singer. She sang with the most gifted vocalists of all time — Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, and the Rolling Stones. She was a real singer’s singer. Cindy was that girl to me. I looked up to her so much.”

Of course, once I found out ‘Neal’ is Nils Lofgren, a rock legend, amazing songwriter, and virtuoso rock guitarist who has recorded and performed with Bruce Springsteen as a member of the E Street Band,  I roped master stylist and Hale Organic salon owner Joe Murray into helping on the video shoot.
It was fun for me to step away from diabetes outreach and jump back into styling and working in entertainment, too. I spent half my life pursuing my dreams of working in entertainment. I didn’t have a master plan, just a deep passion that happily carried me a long, long way.

For all his success, Nils Lofgren is a down-to-earth, caring, and kind person. Even though he was on the road touring with Bruce, he found time to drop me an email expressing his gratitude.
Mountains
Ain’t The Truth Enough appears on Nils Lofgren’s new album, Mountains. Nils said the album started out “as a form of therapy, but it very quickly grew beyond that” and that it was “so freeing to work without any restrictions,” calling it “some of the most inspired work” he has ever made. He wrote and recorded the album at his home in Arizona and enlisted a wonderful kaleidoscope of talent, including Ron Carter, Neil Young, and David Crosby.  This album is jammed with great melodies, glorious guitar playing, heartfelt lyrics, and catchy hooks that have this disco kid dancing around.
I’m happy to say I’m now a big Nils Lofgren fan and thrilled to participate in this project. Ringo Starr????? Unbelievable!!!
Don’t worry; I’m not giving up my day job working to glamorize good health for women and their loved ones living with diabetes.

Get Clued Inn About Your Shape

Divabetic hosts a sneak peek of Clued Inn: The First-Ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience at Hale Organic Salon in New York City scheduled for National Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Guest presenters: Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE, Susan Weiner MS RDN CDE CDN FAADE, Catherine Schuller and Joe Murray will be discussing how your body shape relates to your risk for heart disease.

Does your Body Shape signal Heart Problems?

Having an apple shaped body – one where too much fat is stored around the middle (waist) –  may be a warning sign that you are at risk for heart disease and other health problems, including Type 2 diabetes and cancer states Dr. Tony Hampton, an obesity expert at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago and a member of the Obesity Medicine Association.

A clue to your risk is where your body stores excess fat. So, paying attention to the size of your waistline may be a more effective strategy for good health than focusing strictly on your Body Mass Index (BMI), or your overall weight.

Body types shaped like a carrot, a pear or an hour glass tend to carry lower risk for heart disease, even when carrying extra fat.Divabetic’s Sneak Peek for Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room features Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE (author of MY SWEET LIFE: Successful Men with Diabetes and MY SWEET LIFE: Successful Women with Diabetes), Susan Weiner MS RDN CDE CDN FAADE (author of The Complete Diabetes Organizer, Diabetes: 365 Tips for Living Well) Hale Organic Salon owner and Master Stylist Joe Murray. The program is hosted by Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek.

Don’t miss Clued Inn, the first-time Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience scheduled for Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Free Admission. Space Limited. BOOK NOW