Jamie Jones

Singer/Songwriter Jamie Jones has come full circle. Many remember him as the lead singer of the
90s pop/R&B group All-4-One, known for their catchy, romantic ballads, including the Grammy-
winning 1994 hit, "I Swear." But long before there was an All-4-One, there was a kid with a
powerful voice; the son of a deacon who grew up singing God's praises in church. Jones new solo
record, "Jamie Jones" is a soulful, inspirational record that takes him back to where it all started
musically.
Jones released his first official solo record last year with "Illuminate" on his own label, Genesis
Entertainment. The new self-titled record is a reworking of "Illuminate" with five new songs. The
record contains a nice variety of music; from straight up gospel songs to soul grooves, but the
theme throughout is gratitude, encouragement, and love. Highlights include the head-nodding,
inspirational track, "Don't Stop," featuring Wayne Brady and newcomer William Cartwright, the
uplifting tune "Rise," featuring Jones' fellow All-4-One mates, and "U Gonna Be Alright," which is
also included as an irresistible stepper's remix that really works. Jones also provides listeners
with several songs that have a more contemporary soul sound, like "I'm So Glad," "So I," and
"Why Does It Take," all of which contain vocals reminiscent of artists like Prince, D'Angelo, and Maxwell.
Perhaps most impressive about the record is Jones' control and use of his instrument. He knows when to belt out a note
or phrase, when to use his lower register, and when to come in with the rising falsetto.
In addition to recording his own material, Jones still records and tours with All-4-One. He also enjoys a successful career as
one-third of the music producing team, The Heavyweights, who've done music for the TV show, "Dance 365" and have
produced tracks for several artists, including Wayne Brady.
Jones spoke recently about his new record, becoming an independent artist, and the artists who've shaped him musically. - soultalk.rhythmflow.net/shows_jamie_jones.html

Fans eagerly await the arrival of Jamie
Jones' latest self-titled CD. With the promotion of his new
CD, Jones has witnessed first-
hand the county’s deep
cultural divide over the rise of
evangelical Christianity. When
asked whether or not he finds
it more accepting to sing about
his faith in the current climate,
Jones grasped to define this
divide.
“I don’t know honestly,"
Jones said. "You go some
places and people accept it
and think it’s awesome and
then you go to some places
that don’t support your faith,
but I know that there are
specific people that need to
hear this music and I know
it’s going to help them.”

It was 1994 when “I Swear”
was released, a song that
was ubiquitous during the
mid-nineties thanks to All-4-
One’s soulful version and
John Michael Montgomery’s
honky-tonk rendition.

You can still hear All-4-
One’s “I Swear” if you stay-
up late enough to catch a
commercial for the latest
Silky Soul of the 90’s
compilation, but Jones isn’t
eager to rely on the same
sound that brought him
earlier success.
“I feel this project," he
explained, "will display another dimension of who I
am as an artist who has
matured and developed.”
Jamie Jones displays the rebirth of cool, then lays melodic
tunes at his state-of-the-art recording
studio in Southern California.

Although they haven’t released a project from a major label in
six years, All-4-One still release CDs from American Records
and presently enjoy moderate success overseas. Though some
people in the U.S. would probably consider the group past its
prime, Jones said he's not leaving All-4-One.
With the release of his first solo project, Jones has brought his
music career full-circle. Full of r&b, gospel and Neo-Soul, Jamie
Jones offers up a disc that captures and exudes his faith. He
hopes you can relate.
- 30below.net

When I received Jamie Jones' self titled solo debut CD, I dropped it into my car CD player and I got about 9 songs into it before a lyric he sang caught my attention. This didn't occur because his lyrics were not good. Nor did it occur because I wasn't paying attention or not heeding the message. This happened because I was so lost into the groove of the music that the message just didn't seem important but then I heard him sing about being so grateful; immediately, the lyrics took on a whole new meaning for me.

There was never a doubt for me, if given the chance that I would interview Jamie. After all, it's not everyday that you get an opportunity to converse with a respectful, level-headed, Grammy winning, servant leader and dedicated family man within your own generation who is just beginning to reveal another level of his wonderfulness to the world and so my blessing occurred and we got a chance to talk.

Truthfully, Jamie needs no introduction as his credits and musical history tell the story on his behalf. This became very clear to me on the day that I discussed with a friend what he could look forward to in the September issue of WOTS and I said ''I'm interviewing Jamie Jones. Remember he's from…'' and before I could get another word out, my friend said ''I know who he is. He's with All-4-One''.

His work with the award winning pop quartet resulted in mega hit and chart topping singles. Two of the most memorable being ''I Swear'' and ''I Can Love You Like That''. For Jamie, his group members are his brothers and to this day, they are all still very close and very much a group. His new CD was about him taking on a personal venture to give praise and admiration for the many blessings that he has experience throughout his life. ''This whole Cd is a testimony.'' he professed. ''I am really, so grateful. God has been good to me and I promised him to do what he wants me to do''.

''Jamie'', I asked. ''What category on the charts has this CD been placed in because it has such a funky R&B groove but yet a gospel feel to it?''

''We shipped it as a Soul record.'' He replied. ''It started off being just a soul record but the more I wrote and recorded, the more I knew that it was much more. I call it urban inspiration. I am not trying to beat people over the head with the message. I am just giving testimony about my blessing.''

I agree that this cd is quite inspiring. Jamie not only pays homage to his maker, he acknowledges his wife in the song ''I'm So Glad'' and he brings his brother's from All-4-One along for the ride on the songs Rise and Take My Hand. It's one of the most incredible projects that I've heard in a long time and one of the few that I am able to listen to, uninterrupted from song one to song 17.

I mentioned to Jamie during the interview that I was fortunate to locate the now Rev. Steve Arrington, formally of the R&B group Slave and I was very excited about the possibility of interviewing him for WOTS. This would have been a ground breaking interview for me in terms of finding mature (old school) artists who made such a mark in the world of R&B music and yet, gave it all up in pursuit of something bigger than him…his love for the Lord. He walked away.

I told Jamie that this could have been big because there could very well be artist out there right now who want to embrace their spirituality but are afraid to be true to that side of themselves for fear of not appealing to the mainstream. Unfortunately, Rev. Arrington and I could not work out an interview but I found that after listening to Jamie's CD, my same thoughts and concept pertained so I posed my thoughts to him. ''Some industry people want to get closer.'' He responded. ''But they tend to get condemned and this in turn tends to make them shy away from attending a traditional church. My wife and I started a bible study group specifically for industry people who want to study. Our goal is to provide a non-judgmental support system''.

Jamie and his wife Hanna's undying devotion and dedication stems beyond their industry friends. They are commitment volunteers and work with the Los Angeles Mission where they are developing plans to build an infrastructure whereby homeless individuals will have a mailing address and communal phone along with showers, rest areas and clean clothes. "Hanna and I are committed to this project. It means nothing to help someone. I am the type to empty my pockets to the beggar on the street. After all, how do we know that the individual isn't God? The way I am has a lot to do with my relationship with God. I do what I do because I hope that in the end, God will say ‘Well done my faithful child'.

In light of the most current events that we as American's are experiencing along with our brother's and sisters in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, this interview and testimony of Jamie has come at the most opportune time. He is a reminder (to me) of what is beautiful about this world. He is a reminder that not everyone is in this industry for the money. He is yet; proof positive that when Mother Theresa said (and I paraphrase) ''When you are kind. People will think that you have ulterior motives but be kind anyway because in the end, it was never about you and them anyway. It was about you and GOD'' she spoke the truth.

I encourage all to pick up his CD. Please visit his website at http://www.jamiejonesonline.com where you can hear snippets of the CD in the ''Clips'' area.

Thank you Jamie for being a ray of sun during one of our darkest, clouded storms.

- Word on The Street - www.thewots.info/jj.htm

Jamie Jones was immediately thrust into the popular music spotlight in 1994 as the lead singer on All-4-One’s smash cover of “So Much in Love” and their even bigger follow-up, “I Swear” (that year’s biggest single). However, after the group’s modestly successful And the Music Speaks album, All-4-One began a slide from the popular music peak at which it had so quickly arrived. The group continued performing and recording for nearly another decade, but had virtually no chart success with its subsequent releases through 2004.

During this period, Jones and his wife, Hanna, began raising three children and became involved in religious and charitable work, most notably the Los Angeles Mission, an organization working to increase opportunity and eradicate homelessness in the area. Jones also began working on what he calls making himself a "triple threat" -- spending more time writing songs and forming his own production company (with friends Jason Pennock and Jack Kugell) called The Heavyweights, the result of which has been a growing role providing songs for other artists from Martina McBride to Jim Brickman.

While still continuing to tour with All-4-One, in 2003 Jones began working on solo performances and quietly released his debut album, Illuminate, in 2004. While each All-4-One album included one Gospel track, Illuminate was a full modern Gospel album, directly hearkening back to Jones’ church background but set to modern R&B and Urban Adult Contemporary sound.

Review of Jamie Jones
Jamie Jones has reworked Illuminate and added five strong new cuts to release a more formal debut, Jamie Jones, on his own Genesis Entertainment label. For those who lamented All-4-One’s fall from grace and those (like me) who wished the group had taken on meatier fare in its recorded work, Jamie Jones is a pleasant surprise. The disc leads off with its two finest cuts (neither of which was on Illuminate), “Don’t Stop,” a wonderful acoustic midtempo with Jones accompanied by William Cartwright and comedian/singer Wayne Brady, and “Rise,” a big ballad backed by Jones’ All-4-One mates. Both cuts are extremely radio-friendly and are representative of the lyrical message on the album: a message that focuses on two of the three Christian virtues: faith, and to an even greater measure, hope. This positive theme runs through a solid collection of cuts, including the mildly bluesy pop of “Why Does It Take,” “I’m So Glad” and “Higher Love,” and the solid uptempo cuts “U Gonna Be Alright” (also included in a steppers remix) and “Get On Up.” Jones' All-4-One fans will certainly like the album’s sweeter cuts “So Grateful” and “Take My Hand” (which is a full All-4-One performance), but they should also be pleased with the diversity of the new disc, which touches credibly on Gospel, modern R&B and pop sounds.

At a generous 17 cuts, the album perhaps includes two or three more tracks than would be optimal, but that is a small criticism. Jamie Jones is both a welcome return and a fresh start for this talented singer. It also introduces a more soulful, mature sound for Jones and includes a few outstanding cuts that will spend a lot of time on my iPod. Recommended. - Soultrack - www.soultracks.com/jamie_jones.htm