booj's blog

"A new voice of note has emerged on the music scene in the guise of Mr. Jose James. Hailing from
Minneapolis and now based in Brooklyn, this talented young singer/composer/producer has released a brilliantly realized debut c.d. -- The Dreamer -- which firmly places him (in my mind) as perhaps the best male jazz vocalist of his generation. The Dreamer is released out of the U.K. on Giles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings label. As an influential internationally-renowned personality, Peterson has a knack for identifying and spotlighting forward looking musical talent. With a Peterson association quality is presumed from the onset. The Peterson imprimatur assured that James' introduction is given a real opportunity for impact. The Dreamer does not disappoint. It signals a needed shift; a return to quality, depth and a honoring of the vast tradition of black music. The build up for the release of The Dreamer has been in the making for over year, starting with the release of the title track on 2006's Brownswood Bubblers compilation. "The Dreamer" is a languid tune which features a floating trumpet line anchored by James' slow, meditative crooning. The combination instantly drew me in and held me in rapt attention. James' mature baritone was comfortably familiar and timeless. Jose James has an engaging vocal quality that is reminiscent of artists such as Andy Bey, Leon Thomas, Jon Lucien, and Gil Scott Heron. He is their logical heir but also he has a unique stamp to his voice. Listening to the ten tracks on the Dreamer, the range of influences that pervade throughout the record amaze. The tracks have an ease and a innate hipness to them -- James is cool and his players swings effortlessly, mingling their influences into a very modern sensibility. At once sophisticated and homey, The Dreamer is a record that could be the soundtrack to accompany family gatherings, card games, cocktails parties, or the midnight hour. The songs speak plainly and directly offering music to move, soothe and fuel you. Jose James has produced a work that stands so outside (perhaps ahead?) of the mainstream of popular music that it becomes a cipher of the times. Ostensibly the songs are about love hoped for, lost, and remembered but they also speak to the spiritual need of the day."
http://www.soultracks.com/
http://www.josejamesmusic.com/