Last summer, I just started having these really vivid dreams, Culbertson says. I started waking up inspired to get into the studio and write songs. Songs that made me feel like those dreams. It s really strange for me, because I ve never written songs about being inspired by dreams. That s why this record is quite different. 　　Having worked with an array of stellar R&B artists such as Faith Evans, Ledisi, Brian McKnight, Kenny Lattimore, and Avant on his past albums, Brian forges full steam ahead in that tradition on Dreams. Brian brought together a group of "who's who" in music including: R&B producer and longtime collaborator and arranger Rex Rideout (Angie Stone, Ledisi, Luther Vandross, Lalah Hathaway, Will Downing, Kem); four of R&B s top session players to help round out the sound - bassist Alex Al (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones); and guitarists Michael Thompson (Babyface, Toni Braxton), Rob Bacon (Beyonce, Raphael Saadiq), and John Jubu Smith (Frankie Beverly & Maze, Whitney Houston).