JOSÉ JAMES / “José James Mixtape”
José James has a new album scheduled for October 2009. If it’s even half as good as his debut release, The Dreamer (Brownswood, 2008), I’m going to love it madly. Since The Dreamer dropped, José’s been busy. He’s toured all over the world (though, unfortunately, not in my neck of the woods) and he’s collaborated with numerous instrumentalists, bands, DJs, remixers and producers. One of the strengths of The Dreamer CD is its specific and thematically consistent sound. The entire CD could’ve been recorded in one shot, with one band, in one night. A masterpiece of mellow moodiness, it’s ten tunes are meant to be heard one after another, as one piece. José’s non-LP work is very different. Because he’s working with different artists on each track and because he isn’t necessarily the primary creative force behind the music, we get a surprise with each tune. The soundscapes range from straight-ahead jazz to jittery electronica to the thudding 4/4 feel of late-night neo-soul—before the needle drops (so to speak) we’re never sure what we’re going to hear. So, in anticipation of José’s sophomore release—and in celebration of simple good music—here’s a handful-plus of my favorite non-LP tracks from my pick for best new artist of the decade—José James.
And when push come to shove We nod heads to the beat And put our hands to the sky We black flowers breaking concrete…7. DJ Mitsu The Beats feat. José James – “Promise In Love” – from A Word To The Wise (Planet Groove, 2009) A straight-up neo-soul thing. If you would’ve described this one to me before I heard it, I would’ve assumed I’d hate it. I don’t at all – quite the opposite. It’s candy, I know. But mama used to say, “All things in moderation.” A little bit of sugar won’t kill you. Dim the lights and kick back for a minute. 8. José James + Flying Lotus – “Visions Of Violet” – from 12” Single (Brownswood, 2008) Taking us out with a brief blast of slow-motion funk from José as backed by L.A. sample-meister FlyLo. “Only happiness and joy tonight….”
This entry was posted on Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 5:44 am and is filed under Contemporary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
3 Responses to “JOSÉ JAMES / “José James Mixtape””
August 25th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I love Jose and his lyrics just kill:
Little Bird
Of all the things I’ve found in life
No moment’s better than this
Of all the things I’ve ever known
Nothing prepared me for your kiss
If we fly if we fly if we fly into the sun
Of all the things I’ve needed baby
You were my cherished one
A Little bird told me that you can’t find your way home
A Little bird has shown me that you can’t run away from love
August 30th, 2009 at 10:14 am
I found this dynamic cut of Jose with a band on YouTube with this Finnish sax player! “Timo Lassy feat Jose James – The more I look at you”
September 18th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
I give up! How do you download the Jose James Mixtape? Also, I Saw Jose in Amsterdam and he was off the chain,
kalamu sez
unfortunately, the mixtapes are only active for one week.
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