--=[ Boney James ]=--

Boney James-Shine [2006]

After fourteen years, over 2 million records, four Gold Albums, a Soul Train Award, and two consecutive Grammy nominations, Boney James begins the next chapter of his musical career.
His Concord Records debut, Shine, features guest appearances by hip-hop/soul diva Faith Evans, jazz-guitar icon George Benson, R&B vocalists Dwele and Phillip Bailey, keyboard wizard George Duke, alternative-pop singer Esthero and Sounds of Blackness powerhouse Ann Nesby.














Boney James - Ride [2001]

It's no wonder Boney James is a winner of a Soul Train music award, and that his music is heard on urban radio almost as much as he's heard on smooth-jazz radio. From his first album, and on up to Ride, his eighth, James always has had a degree of funky soul and light pop mixed in his sax playing, which is a smooth-jazz staple. But here the lines are drawn more clearly and distinctly. There's no doubt that he's staking a claim in the retro-soul R&B movement with several potential hits, including "Something Inside," with its gospel-drenched Dave Hollister vocal, and "See What I'm Saying," featuring bassist Marcus Miller. With popular singer-rapper Jaheim, James manages to make at least three musical references to the '70s on the title track, including a musical nod to Con Funk Shun. The average smooth-jazz saxophonist wouldn't know Con Funk Shun from Brass Construction, which is one reason why James is not your average smooth-jazz saxophonist. He has chipped away at two different audiences and now has one big one that not only allows him headline status, but gold records. Ride will be his fourth in a row.













Boney James - Sweet Thing [1997]

Boney James is a master at combining cool R&B grooves and good melodies, then surmounting them with warmly memorable saxophone sounds. On Sweet Thing, the lighter, piping tone of his soprano sax floats smoothly through tunes like "East Bay" and "Ivory Coast," but he gets a distinctly funkier touch from his deeper horns. There's a cool intensity to his alto sax on "Nothin' but Love," while his soulful tenor is his main voice, whether biting gently into the beat on ballads or generating more heat over Latin tempos. James gets some terrific support here from David Torkanowsky on keyboards and Lenny Castro on percussion. Alex Al provides all the backing tracks for "Words (Unspoken)," a lightly pulsing carpet of keyboards and programming, while there are several good vocalists, including Tony Maiden on "Sweet Thing," Al Jarreau on "I Still Dream," and Eric Benet on the funky remix of "It's All Good."


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