In 2013, having just signed to the Blue Note label, José James seemed to confirm his status as a powerful voice in the neo soul world with his new album No Beginning No End. With influences ranging from Bill Withers to Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, he blended jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop and R&B, all with a certain level of refinement. Still armed with that silky, romantic and unmatched voice, the Minneapolis singer now presents us with the sequel, No Beginning No End 2 published on his own label Rainbow Blonde Records. Like the first volume, this one exhibits a certain stylistic eclecticism that is rendered uniform by means of his vocals. A fantastic array of artistry which, although it doesn’t contain many surprises, is impeccably executed and features a huge range of guests including Aloe Blacc, Laura Mvula, Lizz Wright, Hindi Zahra, pianist Kris Bowers and trumpeters Christian Scott and Erik Truffaz. © Max Dembo/Qobuz