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.
It’s hard to believe that an iconic singing competition like American Idol has produced only two Black male winners in its more than two-and-a-half-decade history. Jamal Roberts made history last year when he won the show, following Ruben Studdard’s well-deserved victory in Season Two.
One wonderful aspect of supporting physical media is that I never run short of albums to choose from when deciding what to cover for Second Listen Sunday. Often, I’ll head to the man cave, browse through my CD collection, and an album will pop out at me. This week’s pick is T-Pain’s fourth album, “Revolver.”
One of my favorite singers, Mr. Eric Roberson, is performing this weekend at America’s legendary music venue, The Birchmere. To show Eric some love, I want to highlight something longtime R&B fans have always known: he’s had remarkable songwriting talent.