Industry giant Clive Davis shook numerous heads when he announced his new label J Records after he was ousted from Arista Records in 2000. While J eventually signed heavyweight artists like Luther Vandross, Jamie Foxx, and Monica, who all earned multi-platinum plaques with the label. And, of course, there was a little minx named Alicia Keys, whose debut sold twelve million records.
While J Records had superstars, a few artists weren’t so lucky. R&B songstress Oliva was the first artist signed to the label and left the label on bad terms, while The Project G&B debut album never saw the light of day. And then we have this week’s artist for Second Listen Sunday, Jimmy Cozier.
Jimmy Cozier was a Brooklyn-born singer/songwriter eager to stand out in a world of modern R&B music. His self-titled debut CD shows his talents as he expertly meanders through the realm of cell phones, cold-and-lonely nights, and troubled women. His impressive vocal range is particularly displayed on “Time Stands Still,” where his singing rises confidently against the backdrop of subtle instrumentals. Locating those tracks on which his vocals are uncluttered by too many distractions reveals the originality and strength behind him: imagine the energizing sound found within “Two Steps,” featuring background vocals from Wyclef Jean. Jimmy Cozier brings both skill and spirit to R&B.
In “No More Playing Games,” Cozier easily demonstrates his vocal abilities. Cozier and label mate Alicia Keys successfully collaborate on an enjoyable duet, “Mr. Man.” Would Cozier have been better off with a selection of primarily vocal-driven songs? The issue is that many of the up-tempo tracks have a similar sound and have no replay value aside from the lead single, “She’s All I Got.”
Furthermore, the only ballad featured is a message song, so it would have been good to hear him singing a slow jam. Unfortunately, the promotion for this album was not strong enough, which damaged its success. Despite this, Cozier has a pleasant voice – it’s hard to say how things could have gone without more support from A-list producers and artists.
Final Grade: B-
Jimmy Cozier 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.