José James – “No Beginning No End”

Posted by GrooveOnFire on February 19, 2013

LISTEN: Jose James – Come To My Door (from YouTube)

Last year Blue Note gave us the Robert Glasper Experiment’s incredible “Black Radio” (not coincidentally our favorite record from last year) and now they have come close to matching the brilliance of that record with the release of “No Beginning No End” which is the first release by Jose James for the legendary label. It has been in heavy rotation here at GOF since it came out at the end of January and it certainly is deserving of the all the great press it has been getting.

James is a jazz singer who showcases his exceptional talents in musical styles that often have more in common with the hip-hop generation than with what we would normally associate with jazz vocalists. The album moves so easily through different genres – neo-soul, R&B, funk, pop and jazz – that it leaves one wondering why more folks aren’t capable of making music like this. The short answer is it takes massive talent and James clearly both has it and knows what to do with it. Check out the spectacular Come To My Door above and then grab the whole record here.