Jose James caught my attention a year or so ago when a friend of mine recommended the jazz vocalist/composer's debut, The Dreamer. It was, as expected by its description, a sometimes funky, at other times soulful, and primarily jazzy effort that had me wondering why James wasn't on others' radar. His sophomore project, Blackmagic, will likely change that as it features production from the likes of Flying Lotus, who helped create the title-track. "Blackmagic" is a woozy, almost eerie cut driven by repeating lyrical and instrumental theme. And those qualities serve as a fine example of what you can expect across the entire LP, which is out now in deluxe form with bonus remixes and a brand new track featuring FlyLo.
