EARMILK EARMILK
  • NEW MUSIC
    • DANCE
    • ELECTRONIC
    • EXPERIMENTAL
    • HIP-HOP
    • INDIE
    • POP
    • ROCK
  • INDUSTRY NEWS
    • DOCUMENTARIES
    • EVENTS
    • FASHION
    • LIFESTYLE
    • MUSIC GEAR
    • MUSIC INDUSTRY
    • TECHNOLOGY
  • OPINION
  • ALBUM REVIEWS
  • GEAR REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • FEATURES
    • FESTIVALS
    • EXCLUSIVES
    • LISTS
    • CONTESTS
    • Photo Journals
  • SERIES
    • Artist to Watch
    • Under The Crust
    • Flashback Friday
    • Suicide Sundaes
    • Daily 2%
    • The Club
    • Weekend Selector
    • Mashup Mondays
    • Artist Remixed
    • Wobble Wednesday
    • Night Rumours
    • Indie Sabbath
    • Straight No Chase
    • Straight From the Teet
  • Jobs
  • About EARMILK
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Music
EARMILK EARMILK
EARMILK EARMILK
  • NEW MUSIC
    • DANCE
    • ELECTRONIC
    • EXPERIMENTAL
    • HIP-HOP
    • INDIE
    • POP
    • ROCK
  • INDUSTRY NEWS
    • DOCUMENTARIES
    • EVENTS
    • FASHION
    • LIFESTYLE
    • MUSIC GEAR
    • MUSIC INDUSTRY
    • TECHNOLOGY
  • OPINION
  • ALBUM REVIEWS
  • GEAR REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • FEATURES
    • FESTIVALS
    • EXCLUSIVES
    • LISTS
    • CONTESTS
    • Photo Journals
  • SERIES
    • Artist to Watch
    • Under The Crust
    • Flashback Friday
    • Suicide Sundaes
    • Daily 2%
    • The Club
    • Weekend Selector
    • Mashup Mondays
    • Artist Remixed
    • Wobble Wednesday
    • Night Rumours
    • Indie Sabbath
    • Straight No Chase
    • Straight From the Teet
  • Alternative R&B

Jay James nails R&B-fusion with new album "When All is Said and Done"

  • March 15, 2018
  • Claire Ruder
Total
0
Shares
0
0
From Ghana to San Diego, Jay James is a multi-instrumentalist producer with influences spanning an impressive range of genres. He has categorized his latest album as R&B: When All is Said and Done. After listening though, unexpected echoes of classical, hip-hop, international, and jazz music are evident throughout.
I was surprised that out of 14 tracks there are only two with vocals— an atypical setup for an R&B project where vocals are usually central. The main structure of the album is laid out with soft piano, but there are hints of flute, saxophone, and different brass instruments spattered throughout. A clear example of this (as well as a strong highlight on the project) is the 8th song "Anxious." It features instruments that ebb and flow, each having a moment of clarity on the reverberating lo-fi backtrack.
 
The overall sound on the album feels carefully crafted and personal. Some of the other high-points are the shorter interlude tracks "Mourning Prayer" and "Bedtime Prayer." Both are around a minute long and devoid of lyrics; they convey potent fleeting moments of emotion. The occasional impressive vocal additions from Phabo on two of the tracks are a nice touch, but the album would definitely still be impactful without them. The project, which is self-composed, produced, mixed and mastered, also enlists help from Thomas Frye (guitar), Isaiah Davis (sax/flute), Jesse Aaron (guitar), and Julian Davis (trumpet/flugelhorn). James spoke on the multi-faceted nature of his music, saying he "creates lush and cultivating R&B music influenced by [his] environment, current events and musicals styles from all over the world." When All is Said and Done is a perfect representation of this and a great introduction to the rest of Jay James' work.
 
Connect with Jay James: Soundcloud | Spotify | Twitter | Instagram | Website
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • Isaiah Davis
  • Jay James
  • Julian Davis
  • Phabo
  • Thomas Frye
Claire Ruder

Insomniac writer, artist manager, & UC Berkeley student— hit me here with all things music: claire@ruder.net

Previous Article
  • Electronic
  • Exclusive
  • Premiere

Danya Vodovoz releases new album 'Motion Machine' [Exclusive]

  • March 15, 2018
  • Karl Dobias
View Article
Next Article
  • Hip-Hop
  • Rap

Mike Xavier shares "Nothing But Love" on his new single

  • March 15, 2018
  • Tayo Odutola
View Article
You May Also Like
View Article
  • Alternative
  • Alternative R&B
  • Ambient
  • Ambient R&B
  • Atmospheric
  • Easy Listening
  • Feature
  • Future R&B
  • Indie
  • Melodic
  • Music Videos
  • New Music
  • R&B
  • Reviews
  • Soul
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos

Cautious Clay finds intimacy in "Art Museum (2am)"

  • September 13, 2025
View Article
  • Alt-Pop
  • Alternative R&B
  • Indie
  • New Music

Planet McKenna drops debut single, "Follow the Signs"

  • September 12, 2025
View Article
  • Alternative R&B
  • Electro R&B
  • Electronic
  • Glitch
  • Interviews
  • Mainstage
  • Neo-Soul

Magi Merlin on Broken R&B, Exploring Lyrical Themes, and Her FME 2025 Debut [Interview]

  • September 3, 2025
View Article
  • Alternative R&B
  • New Music

Latte Samuels drops new single “Evil Eye” showcasing bold alt R&B sound

  • September 3, 2025
View Article
  • Alternative R&B
  • Hip-Hop
  • Rap

Kueen shares refreshing new project, 'Got Juice?'

  • August 29, 2025
View Article
  • Alternative R&B
  • Minimal R&B
  • New Music
  • Soul

F.N. drops chilling alt R&B on "IN YOUR MIND"

  • August 15, 2025
View Article
  • Alternative R&B
  • Dance
  • Hip-Hop
  • New Music
  • Soul

Jyou will have you “fallin” for his newest single

  • August 15, 2025
View Article
  • Alternative R&B
  • Lo-Fi
  • New Music

Alt r&b artist MINH is over all the rumors and all the "Gossip"

  • August 14, 2025
Popular Music
  • Jack Manley aches for a fleeting love on "Damn Girl"
    • September 14, 2025
  • Lia Pappas-Kemps shares her "Reservations"
    • September 14, 2025
  • Hallie Marie reaches out for others on "Blue In Her Head"
    • September 14, 2025
  • SHARKTANK explore indie, electronica and synth pop on stunning new album "3"
    • September 13, 2025
  • Amy Jay releases new single "Margins" off of upcoming album 'Mnemonics'
    • September 13, 2025
Recent Scoops
  • Jay Tone is carving out his space with "Puzzles"
    • July 7, 2025
  • Matt Oakley is redefining country music with heart, soul and modernity
    • May 5, 2025
  • Texas’ Blacktop Mojo does rock music the way it should be done
    • April 29, 2025
  • Tha Rapper Haiti blends authentic style with musical passion
    • April 28, 2025
Community Voices
  • From Machismo To Mujeres: Women As The Face Of Reggaeton
    • July 14, 2022
  • Tyler the creator
    4 things I learned on the 'Call Me If You Get Lost' tour
    • March 31, 2022
  • 4 things every artist needs to think about in 2022
    • January 27, 2022
  • The TikTok Takeover of Hip-Hop
    • January 11, 2022

EARMILK EARMILK
  • Jobs
  • About EARMILK
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Music
All Milk. No Duds.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.