Contact

by Boney James

Overview

It's an interesting question: would Boney James have recorded Contact if he'd never had a car accident that damaged his teeth and fractured his jaw? In May, 2010, he was rear-ended while stopped by a driver traveling at high speed. Though he was back on-stage in three weeks, the accident caused James to think back on where he'd been in his career. He reflected on the period he spent backing the Isley Brothers, Morris Day, Randy Crawford, and Teena Marie before his solo offering, 1992's Trust, catapulted him onto the contemporary jazz scene. Contact -- his debut for Verve Forecast -- indulges those influences. James produced and co-wrote every cut here, including the four vocal numbers. The first of these, "Close to You," features a stellar performance by Donell Jones; it is one of the album's true highlights. James plays plays his soprano, interweaving those silky vocal lines with gorgeous fills. Former Destiny's Child member LeToya Luckett sings on the lilting ballad "When I Had the Chance," Heather Headley appears on the slippery-grooved Latin-tinged "I'm Waiting," and Mario does a magnificent job on the dancefloor stepper "That Look on Your Face." James' own chops are fine as ever On the instrumental title track, he lets a slightly angular, syncopated, B-3-led rhythm section groove assert itself before smoothly entering and laying down the melody amid Rob Bacon's guitar fills and a bright-sounding, tightly arranged horn section. On "Cry," Dean Parks plays a nylon-string guitar, giving the cut an exotic flamenco feel before James breathily lets the melody flow from his tenor. With percussion work by drummer Teddy Campbell and Lenny Castro on congas and timbales, it streams forth in a rich, sensually arrayed meld of colors and textures. "There and Back" is a soul ballad where the saxophonist is the singer. It's lithe, silky groove is colored by hand percussion as James, with his canny sense of timing, tells a story on his horn. On "Everything Matters," the laid-back album closer, he plays tenor and alto, aided by Parks on electric guitar, Jimmy Johnson's keys, Campbell, and Castro. It's sweet and slow, but not sentimental, one almost hear Ron Isley singing to its melody. Contact is a bright spot in James' catalog, and underscores his welcome return to recording. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2011
Label:	Verve / Verve Forecast
UPC:	0602527641393

Tracks

1. Contact
2. Close to You
3. Spin
4. When I Had the Chance
5. Cry
6. That Look on Your Face
7. Deep Time
8. I'm Waiting
9. There and Back
10. Everything Matters

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Boney James   Primary Artist,Key Bass,Keyboards,Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)
Mario   Primary Artist,Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist,Featured Artist
Donell Jones   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
LeToya Luckett   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Heather Headley   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Mark Stephens   Keyboards
Rob Bacon   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Dan Higgins   Saxophone
Sue Ann Carwell   Vocals (Background)
Gary Grant   Trumpet
Tim Carmon   Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic)
Jason Morales   Vocals (Background)
Kleber Jorge   Guitar (Rhythm)
Teddy Campbell   Drums
William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr.   Trombone
Dean Parks   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
Alex Al   Bass
Johnny Britt   Keyboards
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Leon Bisquera   Keyboards
Tareq Akoni   Guitar
Jimmy Johnson   Bass
Freddie Washington   Bass
Michael Thompson   Guitar

Technical Credits

Jerry Hey   Horn Arrangements
Mark Stephens   Composer
Rex Rideout   Composer,Engineer
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner   Mastering
Chris Shepard   Engineer
Tim Carmon   Composer
Graham Hope   Assistant
Boney James   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Johnny Britt   Composer
Leon Bisquera   Composer
Jon B.   Composer
Dave Pensado   Mixing
David Rideau   Mixing,Engineer
Morgan Stratton   Assistant
Freddie Washington   Composer
Jonathan Buck   Composer
Barbara Rose   Representation
Lexy Shroyer   Production Coordination
Lily Mariye   Composer
Melissa Orndorff   Stylist
Charles Wakeman   Engineer
Harper Smith   Photography
Drew Adams   Assistant
Kristen Shaw   Grooming
Kenton Fukuda   Assistant
Austin Thompson   Assistant
Pedro De Faria   Assistant
Penua Project   Mixing
Bill Schnee   Engineer