Something about the way Jose James carries himself on record is immediately appealing. Effortlessly soulful, he has no need to overdo vocal contributions – and quite often goes the other way, with softly sung asides to the listener. ‘Blackmagic’ is a very fine soul record as a result of this approach, less jazzy than the previous one. Here we find him singing to an accompaniment of cool keyboards and subtle brass. The layered vocals work well on ‘Lay You Down’, while the added urgency in ‘Warrior’ comes as a result of some cleverly filled in drums. The cream of the crop, though, is ‘Love Conversation’, a gorgeous duet with Jordana De Lovely that gradually evolves over time. This is a record well worth getting to know.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood
