Release Date: March 31, 2015
I first became aware of Jose James from his appearance on Little Bird on Jazzanova's 2008 album Of All The Things. I heard that track and said "Who is this elderly brother who's voice clearly contains a lifetime of cigarettes and soul." I was completely unaware that it was in fact a 30 year old soul singer from Minneapolis.
I enjoyed the track. But he ultimately fell off my radar. Until I discovered his song Do You Feel from his 2013 album No Beginning No End. I fell in love with him all over again. His voice is almost mesmerizing. So when I heard he hid a new album of Billie Holiday covers, I almost sprained a thumb typing it into Spotify. This I had to hear.
The record doesn't play like a cover album. It sounds like Jose James. It's soulful. It's jazzy. It's beautiful. He's taken Billie's material and made it his own. The middle of the record seemed to drag a little for me. Fantastic material. Beautiful. But for a few songs, I found my mind wandering.
I don't consider myself an expert on Jazz by any means. But I am an expert on what I like. This type of record isn't one that fits every mood. But when the mood hits and I want to cool out and just be reminded of what good music can sound like, I'll struggle to find a record more fitting than this one.
Rating: 7/10
Favorite Tracks: God Bless The Child, Strange Fruit, Good Morning Headache
No comments:
Post a Comment