Actors releasing musical albums has been a norm for as long as I can remember. While many like Jamie Foxx find success, others (who shall remain nameless) aren’t so lucky. One such talent was Jason Weave, who released his debut in 1994 on Motown records.
Weaver had already won audiences over with his performance as Michael Jackson in the ABC miniseries, The Jacksons: An American Dream. He followed that up with a scene-stealing singing voice role of as young Simba in The Lion King. Naturally, an album was the next move.
Jason’s debut single, “I Can’t Stand The Pain,” has smooth production, allowing one to hear the lush tone in Weaver’s voice. One of the most surprising takes on the album is Jason’s cover of The Isley Brothers’ classic, “For The Love Of You,” which Jason quickly makes his own. “My Love” and “Love Ambition” deliver the goods for fans of ballads.
However, the up-tempo tracks are solid as well. A pre-fame Robin Thicke pens “On Top Of The Hill” and “All Up Into You.” While the vastly underrated production skills of Hakim Abdulsamad from The Boys shine through on “Ordinary Guy” and “My Love.” The presentation of this CD is handled with finesse and skill far beyond the years of Jason Weaver.
Unless he alluded to his age a few times, one would almost forget that he was not an adult when he recorded this if he didn’t allude to it a few times. It’s not because he acts like a grown-up but because he sings the songs with passion and ease that you start to believe he knows what he’s talking about. That’s not easy, considering the somewhat mature content of the songs. Nothing vulgar, but not what you’d expect to hear from a 15-year-old, yet it’s handled with taste. No doubt being the son of singer/performer Kitty Haywood helped him in this regard.
Unfortunately, Weaver’s debut didn’t do anything sales-wise and shifted his focus back to acting. Weaver was supposed to release a second CD in 1996, but it was shelved, and for a while, there were rumors of signing him to the Disturbing The Peace label after his hook singing success on Chingy’s “One Call Away.”
Nevertheless, this is a fine album; hopefully, Jason will return to music one day.
Final Grade: B+
Love Ambition is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.