The Dreamer is the first studio album by American jazz vocalist José James. It was released on Brownswood Recordings in 2008. A 10th Anniversary Edition was released in 2018, remastered and with 4 additional tracks.
| The Dreamer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 28, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Jazz, R&B, soul, hip hop | |||
| Length | 56:16 | |||
| Label | Brownswood Recordings | |||
| Producer | José James | |||
| José James chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Dreamer | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [1] |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| BBC | favorable[3] |
| Exclaim! | favorable[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
Critical reception edit
John Fordham of The Guardian gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "James sometimes suggests a 21st-century Leon Thomas (the 1970s singer who became an acid-jazz star), but he also exhibits a highly personal mix of Bobby McFerrin's tonal delicacy and the R&B and soul feel of D'Angelo - with the latter association sometimes reinforced by the way the vocal overdubs and harmonies work."[5] Thomas Barlow of BBC said, "Stripped down and captivatingly raw, this is bonafide jazz all the way."[3]
Adam Greenberg of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "He sings contemporary jazz with a strong sense of respect for the classics, but quietly puts hip-hop instrumentation behind his vocals, and multi-tracks himself for accentuation."[2]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Dreamer" | José James | 7:05 |
| 2. | "Velvet" | José James | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Blackeyedsusan" | José James | 4:56 |
| 4. | "Park Bench People" | Freestyle Fellowship | 6:03 |
| 5. | "Spirits Up Above" | Rahsaan Roland Kirk | 5:00 |
| 6. | "Nola" | Bill Lee | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Red" | José James | 5:15 |
| 8. | "Winter Wind" | José James | 7:07 |
| 9. | "Desire" | José James, Nori Ochiai | 7:29 |
| 10. | "Love" | José James, Ryan Blum | 5:24 |
Personnel edit
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- José James – vocals
- Omar Abdulkarim – trumpet
- Nori Ochiai – piano
- Junior Mance – piano
- Ryan Blum – keyboards
- Gal Ben Haim – guitar
- Alexi David – bass guitar, double bass
- Luke Damrosch – drums
- Steve Lyman – drums
- Gilles Peterson – executive production
Charts edit
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)[6] | 16 |
References edit
- ^ May, Chris (January 30, 2008). "Jose James: The Dreamer (2007)". All About Jazz. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Greenberg, Adam. "José James - The Dreamer". AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Barlow, Thomas (2008). "José James - Dreamer - Review". BBC. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ Jones, Kevin (February 20, 2008). "José James - The Dreamer". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Fordham, John (February 1, 2008). "Jose James, The Dreamer". The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30: 03 February 2008 - 09 February 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
External links edit
- The Dreamer at Discogs (list of releases)