Jose James Music

AMAZON MP3 (US)

“Spectacular… There’s nothing tentative or delicate about his voice, which carries marks of jazz vocalists and also soul singers from Marvin Gaye to Barry White.”

- New York Times

“Outside of Sade, few contemporary artists can match James’ smooth voice, head-nodding beats and cosmic atmospherics.”

- Los Angeles Times

Trouble by josejamesworldwide

José James has released his new single, “Trouble,” from the forthcoming 2012 album No Beginning, No End. From the world of Jazz where he is surrounded by the genre’s most respected players and into the realm of R&B and soul, José provides listeners with an intimate and inspiring sound.

José explains, “’Trouble’ is the story of a man trying to love a woman, his world and himself. My hope is that it inspires people to keep strong and enjoy the beauty of their own lives. I wrote it with Marvin ‘Trouble Man’ Gaye in mind – he’s my favorite singer and inspires a lot of my music. A lot of his songs were inspired by jazz and he sang with so much passion and truth. I wanted to sing something that showed a more playful and sensual side to my singing, something with a killer horn section and a sexy bassline. I’m blessed to have Pino Palladino lay down that groove!”

Los Angeles’ KCRW premiered the track this month after several of the station’s DJs placed his previous album, Black Magic, in their 2010 top 10 lists and Music Director Jason Bentley ranked José’s live performance on Morning Becomes Eclectic among his top 10 of the year.

“Trouble” gets a remix courtesy of underground hip-hop artist/producer Oh No. “I was also inspired by Madlib’s beats – everything fits but somehow feels off at the same time and sometimes life is like that,” says José. “His brother, Oh No, did the remix and really brought out the darkness and the beauty of the struggle to do right.”