Daron Jones had already made a name for himself as a founding member of 112 in addition to writing for the likes of Usher, Jamie Foxx, and 112 when he released his Christmas album, Christmas in Atlanta, on November 30th, 2015. Jones opens the project with Christmas in the Air, a midtempo bop that showcases Daron’s brisk baritone.
“Baby for Christmas” is up next, and this is Jones at his best. Jones honed his slow jam writing skills while in 112, and “Baby For Christmas” doesn’t stray too far from the writing style fan have become accustomed to from Jones. I like the song because Jones avoids using auto-tune and lets his voice speak for itself. “Cold Outside” is up next, and here Daron provides his male listeners with a solid apology song if you’re ever in the dog house.
The final original song on the project is the message song “Where Would That Leave Us.” Jones taps into the true spirit in this song and focuses on the holiday’s importance. It’s a great way to close the album out, and in a perfect world, I could easily see the song in an urban Christmas play.
Jones closes out the project with covers of the Christmas standards, “Away in a Manger,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “Oh Holy Night.” Jones sings the songs well and shows off underrated piano skills. While 112 is a legendary group, all members are equally talented. If you’ve never heard of any of Daron’s solo work, Christmas in Atlanta is a great place to start.
Final Grade: B
Christmas in Atlanta is available on all streaming platforms.
One of the great things about buying a soundtrack when I was in my DJ prime was discovering a slow jam that I could put on my mix CDs. For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I wanted to highlight one of the songs: Jagged Edge’s cover of Air Supply’s, “All Out of Love.”
After twenty-six years in the game, Atlanta-based quartet Jagged Edge is currently on the road celebrating the anniversary of their magnum opus sophomore album, “J.E. Heartbreak,” with a tour titled “An Intimate Evening With Jagged Edge.” To kick off our seventh wedding anniversary celebration, my wife and I will be the D.C. date on the tour this coming Wednesday.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to travel back to 1999 and show some love to R&B group Amyth, which was initially signed to LL Cool J Rock the Bells Records. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the group was formed in 1995 while the members were students at Southern University.