One of the most difficult aspects of being a musician, or even being a human, is finding your own voice. Here’s a debut album by Bernell Jones II, who has being carving out a career as a jazzer and studio stud, playing a plethora of instruments from reeds and woodwinds to various keyboards. The wisdom of this rookie release is that young Mr. Jones decides to create something that is literally a “record”-this is where he is at this point in his musical life, and it’s good place to be.
His loyalties and dna are rooted here in an environment that feels like the soul funk of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, but with a nice blending of the groove of a Grover Washington. Jones mixes and matches his team like Dave Roberts does with the Dodgers’ pitching staff, rotating Miles Lennox-Astrid Krallisch/key-synth, Steve Duran-Owen Storey-Jonathan Muir-Cotton/b, Josh Green-David Hawkins/dr-perc and Christian MeMarco/g to their various strengths in order to create sensuous struts as on “July 25th” or some snappy bop work displaying Jones’ big bold and beautiful tenor on the groover “Fast Ish”. There’s an urban feel the the synth groove of “Baby Mama” that is nice and sweaty, and some mellow soul delivered by a rubbery bass on the neck flexing “Juice”.
And then you’ve got Jones bringing in vocalist Jazmine James, who almost steals the show, as her wispy voice coos out Old School R&B on “Don’t Know Why” and is optimistically coy around the graceful cadence of “Brand New”. She floats over the tropical feel of “We Didn’t Ask For This” and is a hoot when teaming up with Jones’ tenor on the rapid run of “Wassup Wit It?” Who let her off her leash?!?
Jones throws down an impressive gauntlet on this release; let’s see this gent in person with a band, and don’t forget you know who!!!