Andy Kim and Kevin Drew - FUV Live - 2015

Remarkable collaborations can be born from deep friendships, especially when those connections evolve in unlikely ways. When Brill Building veteran Andy Kim, who scored a massive solo hit in the '70s with "Rock Me Gently," met Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene fame, both men were at a crossroads in their artistic and personal lives. Their generous friendship—each musician humbly credits the other with seeing him through tough times—resulted in an inspired partnership, as proved by Kim's elegant and poignant new album, It's Decided, which Drew produced.

Over the course of several years, Drew and Kim began collaborating and became close friends, almost brotherly in their conversational shorthand. The result of that trust and camaraderie is spun through It's Decided, from the resurrection of Kim's 1968 single "Shoot 'Em Up, Baby" to the use of an unreleased Broken Social Scene track, "Who Came First," revived with Kim's own lyrics. Drew also recruited more friends to help with the recording, including Tortoise's John McEntire and The Stills' Dave Hamelin.

Although this is Andy Kim's record—his resonant baritone is as beautiful as ever—the collection also reflects Drew's empathetic instincts as a producer. He has a deep admiration for Kim's legacy which bridges co-writing credits (with Jeff Barry) on Brill Building pop classics like The Archies' 1968 hit "Sugar Sugar" to more wistful compositions, as found on his 2011 album, Happen Again. But It's Decided marks a new chapter for Kim, with tenderly crafted tracks like "Sister OK" and "It's Emotional."

While working with Kim, Drew was also inspired to write his own songs; he concurrently recorded his lushly sensual second solo album, Darlings, alongside It's Decided. The link between both albums, like bookends of a great friendship, is palpable.

When Andy Kim and Kevin Drew came up to the Bronx for a session in Studio A, Kim was still battling a slight chest cold and Drew hadn't played the guitar in a couple of months and was dismayed to find that the strings cut into his fingers. But the two pals have shown that perseverance past obstacles is key—and their live performance and conversation was especially touching, sincere and uplifting.

[recorded: 3/10/15]