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Elgin Baylor Lumpkin, better known to the music world as Ginuwine, has a lot on his plate.

It's Feb. 3, and the multiplatinum-selling crooner is just five days away from hitting the road in support of his latest set, November's "Back II da Basics." His "Ladies Night Out Tour" has him playing both coasts with stops as far north as Milwaukee and in Phoenix to the south for his tour closer Feb. 26.

"I just started trying to get everything together yesterday, trying to get on top of things and getting ready to go out and play for the people," he said. "But I'm used to this. This is the way my life is. I usually overcome it all."

Headlining today at Merrillville's Star Plaza Theatre, the Washington D.C.-bred soulster, who turned 30 last October, was first enchanted by music as a youngster after seeing Michael Jackson's legendary performance on Motown Records' 25th Anniversary Special in the spring of 1983.

As a teen, Ginuwine performed in clubs and at parties in our nation's capital in acts ranging from hip-hop and soul ensembles to impersonating the then-King of Pop. Although music was his primary focus, the budding singer and songwriter studied to become a certified paralegal as a backup plan in the event that his plans for a career in music didn't pan out.

There would be no need for a plan B. In the mid '90s, he made acquaintance with new jack bad boy soulsters Jodeci, which boasted future platinum-selling R&B crooning brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey. They, in turn, brought the aspiring star to the attention of another up-and-comer, producer Timbaland.

The pair first joined forces for what would become Ginuwine's full-length debut, "Ginuwine -- The Bachelor." Released in 1996, "The Bachelor" yielded a handful of R&B and top-40 hits such as the chart-topping "Pony," "Only When Ur Lonely" and "Tell Me Do U Wanna."

The hits continued for Ginuwine with the release of his sophomore set, "100% Ginuwine," three years later. That platter spawned hits such as "So Anxious," "None of Ur Friend's Business" and his cover of the Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" smash "She's Out of My Life."

He remained a frequent presence in the R&B strata with subsequent sets; 2001's Big Dog Productions-helmed set "The Life," which contained the smash "Differences," and 2003's "The Senior," which contained the hit "In Those Jeans" and featured collaborations with R. Kelly and Troy Oliver. Additionally, Ginuwine tried his hand at acting, appearing on the big screen in films such as 2002's "Juwanna Man" and 2003's "Honey."

Yet while he continued to score hits from "Life" and "Senior," Ginuwine sought to return to his "Bachelor" days for what would eventually become his back to "Basics" disc. He envisioned that his fifth collection would be helmed by Timbaland, and feature songs penned by Static, with whom Ginuwine penned "Pony."

Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prevented his reunion from the now-red hot producer and songwriter. Yet Ginuwine opted to hold on to the "Basic" title as a reminder of sorts.

"I kept the name for myself for what I do on the stage, and that's to take it back to the basics," he said. "What I'm going to do is get up there and dance and have fun with it. I kind of lost the love for that a couple years ago and now I want to get it back."

A couple years ago, Ginuwine admitted to not feeling the love. Despite more than a half-decade of high-charting hits, hit videos and platinum and multiplatinum sales back then, he felt as if he wasn't receiving appropriate kudos for his successful endeavors.

"There were a lot of (negative) articles and a lot of comparing (to other artists)," he said. "It was me wanting to do better in this business and always feeling like I never get noticed for the things that I do and the accomplishments that I have accomplished, (but) you just got to brush your shoulders off and stand up and look forward and keep moving ahead."

For "Basics," Ginuwine, who served as the set's executive producer, was aided in the studio by up-and-coming producers such as Ill Factor and Cap n' Kurt alongside more established knob turners such as Jazze Pha.

Additionally, he was joined on the mic by hip-hopster Jadakiss on "The Club."

"Basics" entered the all-genre encompassing Billboard 200 album chart at number 12 a little more than a week following its release Nov. 15 and peaked at number three in the music industry trade's Top R&B/Hip-Hop album chart.

"I opened up more than I usually would and listened to other people and let other people come in," Ginuwine said of "Basics." "If this album doesn't take me somewhere that I haven't been before positively, I'm going to go back to doing what I did (in the past), which is staying in the studio by myself, or with one producer, and making the magic happen."

"This album ain't done (running its commercial course) yet," he added. "We'll see what happens."

And despite his yearnings to go back to the "Basics" with his current tour, Ginuwine insists that there will be a more mature crooner performing for his fans at Star Plaza.

"With age comes wisdom, and you just look at life a little differently when you get older," he said. "But I'm still in love with entertaining the fans."

Joining Ginuwine at Star Plaza today are Atlanta-bred soulsters Jagged Edge, whose last set, self-titled, came out in December, Windy City-based crooner Donell Jones, whose fourth full-length offering, "Journey of a Gemini" is slated to hit record racks Feb. 28, and Big Apple crooner Case.

At press time, tickets remain available for today's show.

onstage

Ginuwine, Jagged Edge, Donell Jones, Case

When: 8 p.m. today

Where: Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 at U.S. 30, Merrillville

Cost: $50

FYI: (219) 769-6600, (773) 734-7266 or www.starplazatheatre.com

[EXTRAS]

onstage
Ginuwine, Jagged Edge, Donell Jones, Case
When: 8 p.m. today
Where: Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 at U.S. 30, Merrillville
Cost: $50
FYI: (219) 769-6600, (773) 734-7266 or www.starplazatheatre.com


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