Really mindblowing work from Jose James – an artist we loved right from his very first record, but one who has us completely over the top with this record – a set that may well push James from the soul underground into firmly classic territory – the sort of space that will have the record standing strong with soul classics from decades back, and for a long time to come! Jose's tremendous vocally, but there's also an extra-special spirit to some of these tunes – one that's still very strongly in the hands of the man himself, even though James opens the door for plenty of guests – a lineup that includes Ledisi, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, Aloe Blacc, Lizz Wright, Eric Truffaz, and others – not the kind of guests who overwhelm and take a too-strong turn in the spotlight, but the right sort of addition to the core sound. Titles include a surprisingly great remake of "Just The Way You Are" – plus "Turn Me Up", "I Need Your Love", "Saint James", "Take Me Home", "Oracle", "Feels So Good", "I Found A Love", and "You Know What I Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful beautiful work from Jose James – a tune that's fragile, soulful, and completely wonderful! There's a classic quality to the cut that may have you running back to your hipper jazz vocal albums of the 70s – but the tune is Jose's own, and delivered with a beautifully laidback vocal approach. And in case you doubt the contemporary pedigree, the IG Culture mix has a crackling London sort of feel – one that really energizes the tune! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Singer Jose James has always had a classic vibe to his vocals – but that quality is maybe put forward even more here on this well-crafted Christmas album – a set that somehow manages to bridge the gap between classic Holiday records and the more contemporary work that James has given us on recent records! The focus here is very strongly on his voice – upfront and unadorned, and presented at a level that reminds us that James has been one of the freshest new singers in jazz over the past decade or so – working with help from Aaron Parks on piano, Ben Williams on bass, and Jaharis Yokely on drums – plus a few great solo spots from Marcus Strickland on tenor. Titles include the beautiful "Christmas In New York" – plus "My Favorite Things", "Christmas Day", "The Christmas Waltz", "This Christmas", and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". LP, Vinyl record album

A rising sun from the Jose James side of the universe – trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, stepping out here in a wonderful debut for Blue Note! You've heard Kuroda play with Jose James over the years, but he comes up with a rich new groove here on his own – a mostly-instrumental mode that has his cool, compressed lines over some sweet contemporary funky backings – heavy on Fender Rhodes from Kris Bowers, and some tightly snapping live rhythms that really add a lot of energy to the record! James guests on one track – a great remake of "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" – and also produced the whole set – but the core strength of the record comes from Kuroda's trumpet, and the great keyboard lines of Bowers. Other titles include "Green & Gold", "Piri Piri", "Afro Blues", "Mala", "Call", and "Sometime Somewhere Somehow". LP, Vinyl record album