Local jazz artist, Darnell Levine, is an intelligent, passionate and humble individual with some very interesting things to say about his art.

Instead of talking about his debut album, We Gon’ Use What We Got, (scheduled for release in late May or early June), The Murfreesboro Pulse decided to ditch the thought-provoking questions and have a little fun with Mr. Levine. (Well, we did throw in a few serious questions for good measure.)

Though busy preparing for the pending release of his long-awaited album, the talented 23-year-old, Louisville, Ky., native takes time out of his busy schedule to speak to The Pulse on topics ranging from, pre-marital sex to Sesame Street.

Murfreesboro Pulse: So your name is Darnell Levine. Any relation to Maroon 5’s Adam Levine?

Darnell Levine: Yes, in fact. He’s my brother. Yeah right. Nope, Levine is my middle name. I don’t have the slightest relation to him.

MP: I read where a journalist referred to you as a cute look-a-like to Bert from Sesame Street. What’s your response to that?

DL: [Singing] Rubber ducky, you’re the one, you make bath time lots of fun . . . At least Ernie’s shirt was fly.

MP: Would you ever go on Sesame Street and do a collaboration with Bert and Ernie?

DL: Heck yes! Grammy or Sesame Street? Definitely Sesame Street, which will lead to the Grammy.

MP: If you could redo the score to any movie, what movie would that be and why?

DL: The Ten Commandments. The muffled orchestra is cool but if I did it, when the Red Sea split . . . BAM . . . get crunk music with D. Levine Feat. Lil’ Jon. Title: “Bet You Won’t Cross Ova”

MP: Lil Jon, huh? Unlikely choice. Other than him, who would you collaborate with that might shock some of your fans. 50 Cent maybe?

DL: T.I., cuz he’s a king.

MP: Urban radio sucks to me right now. What song on the radio do you absolutely hate?

DL: That would have to be “Ridin’ Dirty” by Chamillionaire. Honorable mention: the new Eminem song.

MP: Just curious, what’s your favorite album?

DL: This is an open-ended question to me, therefore I plead the fifth. But [Michael Jackson’s] Thriller is really close.

MP: You make statements with your music. Is your music a form of ministry? Simply artistic expression? Pure entertainment?

DL: I write to show that you can be responsible and entertaining. I don’t really consider myself a positive writer or jazzy writer. I write with my imagination and almost always ask, “Has this been done before?” or “Has it been said like this before?”

MP: “Married Now” seems to be one of your signature songs. It’s one of my favorites, along with “Try Him.” The line about being able to have sex now that you’re married seems to be popular with your listeners. Why do you think that is, especially during a time when pre-marital sex seems to be at an all-time high?

DL: Because everybody knows what the Bible says, whether we follow it or not. It’s like an unspoken thing most times. People want to do right, so when I say that part of the song, they agree strongly because ultimately they want to do right too. Honesty’s the best humor.

MP: Let’s say I go to one of your shows, and the day after I send you a message on myspace saying I didn’t think you were as good as everyone made you out to be and I think the show was bad. What would you write back to me?

DL: “Do you need a hug?”

MP: If you were to lose your voice (God forbid), what profession would you go into?

DL: Lip syncing.

For more information, visit darnelllevine.com or myspace.com/darnelllevine1.