Jose James wrapped up his
Blue Note phase after five assorted albums in six years and wasted no time co-founding
Rainbow Blonde, a label consolidating his alliance with fellow singer/composer and partner
Talia "Taali" Billig and trusty engineer
Brian Bender. First out was a reissue of his
Brownswood debut,
The Dreamer, followed by releases from
Taali,
Bender's
Bright & Guilty, and bassist
Ben Williams.
James begins his artistic independence with a sequel to his
Blue Note debut. It's just as much an extension of his farewell, the
Bill Withers testimonial
Lean on Me, in that it stresses traditional songcraft and is more about warm and direct communication (mostly fondness and togetherness) than feel and groove. Having already covered a lite FM staple,
Withers' and
Grover Washington, Jr.'s "Just the Two of Us,"
James overemphasizes the continuity with a version of
Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are." He at least strips it of schmaltz and affectation with
Brett Williams' bopping piano at the fore and
Marcus Machado's virtuosic guitar (instead of
Phil Woods' saxophone) taking a solo like it's a
Steely Dan session. Everything else is original, written by
James with
Billig and longtime associate
Scott Jacoby as chief collaborators. The stylistic range, stretched by
Ben Williams and drummers
Jamire Williams and
Justin Brown, is broader than it is on
No Beginning No End, coasting through multiple jazz modes, blues, and gospel, with natural digressions into mid-'60s pop-soul, Memphis R&B, organic disco, and adult contemporary. A few of the rootsier numbers -- the lively
Aloe Blacc collaboration "Turn Me Up," the
Lizz Wright duet "Take Me Home," the rare sorrowful moment "Miss Me When I'm Gone" included -- have a touch of
Withers to them. What differentiates this from all of
James' previous albums is the large number of guest singers and instrumentalists, all boundary pushers who inject the songs with a constant communal spirit. The hospitality
James displays couldn't serve as a more appropriate statement of intent from a label operated by and for artists. ~ Andy Kellman
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