The Dreamer (José James album)

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
Studio album by
José James
ReleasedJanuary 28, 2008 (2008-01-28)
GenreJazz, R&B, soul, hip hop
Length56:16
LabelBrownswood Recordings
ProducerJosé James
José James chronology
The Dreamer
(2008)		 Blackmagic
(2010)
Singles from The Dreamer
  1. "Blackeyedsusan"
    Released: 2007
  2. "Park Bench People"
    Released: 2008
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
AllMusic[2]
BBCfavorable[3]
Exclaim!favorable[4]
The Guardian[5]

Critical reception

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
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Dreamer"José James7:05
2."Velvet"José James4:01
3."Blackeyedsusan"José James4:56
4."Park Bench People"Freestyle Fellowship6:03
5."Spirits Up Above"Rahsaan Roland Kirk5:00
6."Nola"Bill Lee3:56
7."Red"José James5:15
8."Winter Wind"José James7:07
9."Desire"José James, Nori Ochiai7:29
10."Love"José James, Ryan Blum5:24

Personnel

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
Chart Peak
position
UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)[6] 16
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References
  1. May, Chris (January 30, 2008). "Jose James: The Dreamer (2007)". All About Jazz. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  2. Greenberg, Adam. "José James - The Dreamer". AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  3. Barlow, Thomas (2008). "José James - Dreamer - Review". BBC. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  4. Jones, Kevin (February 20, 2008). "José James - The Dreamer". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  5. Fordham, John (February 1, 2008). "Jose James, The Dreamer". The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  6. "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30: 03 February 2008 - 09 February 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
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