Jose James 1978 2LP

José James, the forward-looking, genre-defying jazz singer for the hip-hop generation, has done it again. 1978, his 12th studio album and first since 2008's The Dreamer, announces an instant classic, combining James' deep love of jazz and hip-hop with songwriting and production nods to R&B heroes Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Leon Ware. Produced by James and featuring an all-star ensemble, 1978 pulsates with the socially conscious feel-good vibes of Marvin Gaye, Prince and Stevie Wonder. 2LP. Gatefold jacket.

James cited Leon Ware as an inspiration for the album, and the low-profile Motown legend's work, particularly on Marvin Gaye's I Want You and his own Musical Massage - landmarks of quiet storm eroticism issued months apart in 1976 - is especially felt in the love ballads....The last two songs are among James' heaviest. Backed by only piano and strings, he delivers a poised outpouring of grief on 'For Trayvon,' masterfully switching in one early line from solemn baritone to despairing falsetto, and staying in the latter range until fadeout. James then returns to his hometown of Minneapolis for '38th & Chicago,' the site of George Floyd's murder. The energy increases for this second song written in response to a racist killing. It's a rolling groove that, in a way, reimagines Marvin Gaye's What's Going On with Ware involved to apply some Afro-Brazilian influence....its steady propulsion, combined with a burning Machado solo and a Pedrito Martínez conga break, signify resolve, defiance, and power.