Daron Jones made a name for himself in nineties R&b as a member of 112, in addition to writing songs for the likes of Usher, Pink, and Jamie Foxx. In 2010 five years after the release of 112’s fifth album, Mr. Jones released his first solo album, Uncensored. However, I wanted to look at one of Daron’s cover EPs this week.
Arriving on platforms in 2015, The Unofficial Diary of Daron Jones allowed the singer to show off his baritone vocals and piano skills. Mr. Jones opens the EP with the interlude “Gift To You,” which transitions into a commendable cover of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You.” Kudos to Mr. Jones for making the song his own and never trying to out-sing Donny.
Two Stevie Wonder songs, “Overjoyed” and “All Is Fair in Love,” sound good. But the fundamental strong points are in his versions of “Tender Love” by Force MDs and “Never Felt This Way” by Brian McKnight. Both songs were already piano-driven ballads, so Daron has a chance to show out.
“Zoom” by The Commodores closes out the EP, and Jones evokes the church feel of the original song. The only minor misstep on the EP is The Carpenter’s “Superstar,” which Luther Vandross already claimed back in the early eighties. Jones sounds find on the song; I wish he would have given a different Luther song.
Nevertheless, this is a fine EP of covers worth a listen to.
Final Grade: B
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.