http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2014/04/14/301451361/song-premiere-jos-james-everylittlething?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nprmusic&utm_term=music&utm_content=20140414

Singer José James has a new album coming out on June 10 and you can tell from this song, "EveryLittleThing," the new record, While You Were Sleeping, is an electrifying new sound. He made a similar shift in style on a record well loved here at NPR in 2013, No Beginning No End. That record saw James shift his jazzy voice toward hip-hop. This new record shows his love for the soulful and electronic-based James Blake, Frank Ocean and bands that James says were influences in his youth: Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead and many late nights in East London Clubs hearing electronic music.

For now José James has a short tour that begins April 15 at World Café, and another in June.

While You Were Sleeping track listing:

1. Angel (José James)
2. U r the 1 (J. James/T. Billig/K. Bowers/B. Williams)
3. While You Were Sleeping (J. James)
4. Anywhere U Go (J. James/S. Dorsey)
5. Bodhisattva (J. James/S. Dorsey)
6. 4 Noble Truths (J. James)
7. Dragon feat. Becca Stevens (Becca Stevens)
8. Salaam (K. Bowers/B. Williams/S. Dorsey/R. Spaven)
9. Without U (J. James/T. Billig/B. Williams)
10. EveryLittleThing (J. James/K. Bowers)
11. xx (J. James)
12. Simply Beautiful feat. Takuya Kuroda (Al Green)

U.S. Tour dates:

April 15 – World Café Live – Philadelphia, Pa.
April 17-18 – Scullers – Boston, Mass.
April 20 – Evanston SPACE – Chicago, Ill.
April 21 – Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis, Minn.
April 22-23 – Dazzle – Denver, Colo.
April 24 – The Triple Door – Seattle, Wash
April 25 – Alberta Rose Theatre – Portland, Ore.
April 26 – The Independent – San Francisco, Calif.
June 12 – Highline Ballroom – New York, N.Y.
June 15 – Playboy Jazz Festival @ Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, Calif.
June 20 – Magoffin Auditorium – El Paso, Texas
June 21 – Charline McCombs Empire Theatre – San Antonio, Texas
June 22 – Empire Control Room – Austin, Texas
June 26 – The Pour House – Raleigh, N.C.
June 28 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, Ga.

talk about going in a different direction...June 10th should give me enough time to adjust

WOW!

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

not that it's bad... but I don't know if that's what I want from JJ. I did find myself singing along toward the end though, so maybe I just need to adapt to this style. I'm very curious as to what the album will sound like.

--

"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."

...kinda strange that this new direction leaves him out

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

I thought Kuroda was now a firm staple of his sound.

-----
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__________________________________________
CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!!
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Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell
Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this

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"This is your world. Shape it or someone else will." - Gary Lew

i'm a big jj fan, but this ain't for me.

Not what I was hoping for but I'm not mad at it. I saw him live last year and he incorporated a lot of classic soul songs into his set so I thought he might be heading in that direction a little more for his next release but maybe not(!?). Even all his features over the last few months (Kuroda, Bowers, Conte, "Pimp") have seen him returning to jazz-esque styles so this makes me even more surprised.

Kinda reminds of the song he did with Basement Jaxx a few years ago which I really liked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYJ8wfz9CY

(On a picky side note: "NBNE was a shift towards hip-hop" - was it?!)

-----
Check me out, say hi...
Visit our soul/jazz/funk internet radio station, Blue-in-Green:RADIO: http://www.blueingreenradio.com/
https://www.mixcloud.com/Blue_in_Green_Sessions/
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>(On a picky side note: "NBNE was a shift towards hip-hop" -
>was it?!)

Hell no it wasn't.

--

"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."

But even then the description is quite lazy.

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Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." © Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."

Hopefully the rest'll sound better.
I don't care at all that he switches his music direction.
I'm a huge fan of artists doing that, but this song just isn't good to me.

+
+
+
+
+
Everything's turning out perfectly

+
+
+
+
+
Everything's turning out perfectly

that is all.

█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃
Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." © Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."

Opened with new about five or six new cuts.

Definitely different. Hearing them in a row, you could get a better sense of the whole he is going for... I think he's going to get a lot of push back from fans for sure. Band is still trying to find their zone with the new stuff, I think, but I thought that they were pretty solid overall.

Fantastic show, and really came alive when he did a few tunes from NBNE and a loooooong, crazy version of park bench people. His band right now is really tight, and that bassist, Solomon Dorsey, is *insane* - definitely catch him if he comes through.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

NBNE

great set, heavy on jazz and soul with an extended Marvin cover

the show and NBNE had me eager for this release

this single has me skeptical

I'll have to hear it before I buy

whereas, it was on my anticipated 14' list before the single

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

This was my first time seeing him live. NBNE was what drew me in to James; I'd heard his stuff before but hadn't paid a whole lot of attention. NBNE made me go back and dig into his catalog a lot deeper...

>this single has me skeptical
>
>I'll have to hear it before I buy
>
>whereas, it was on my anticipated 14' list before the single

Interestingly enough, I don't think he played "every little thing" ... I know he did "Bodhisattva" and the title track from the new record. I'm at a point with him where, like someone said below, I'm willing to suspend disbelief and try to follow dude with whatever he's doing.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

He does lots of work for Jessie Fischer & Soul Cycle too - great voice, great bassist.

-----
Check me out, say hi...
Visit our soul/jazz/funk internet radio station, Blue-in-Green:RADIO: http://www.blueingreenradio.com/
https://www.mixcloud.com/Blue_in_Green_Sessions/
http://soundcloud.com/user305437292

I get it. Jose is an appreciator of all music. He loves Radiohead, Flying Lotus, Benga,
London club music, D'Angelo, etc etc. And I think he wants to explore those sounds
as an artist. I totally get it's not for everyone but I can respect it. I think growing up
on Meshell Ndegeocello's sound Ive appreciated her change of direction and it's
allowed me to accept artist's attempts of not being boxed in.

But at first, I was taken off guard too. I love it now.
av

Weekends on 89.9 FM // KCRW

https://soundcloud.com/bluenoterecords/jose-james-u-r-the-1

okay, I can get with this.

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

The sort of off-kilter beat is nice, and the vocals really work here...

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~