J. Thomas: Press

Song#10"Victory"
Strong, confident vocal, sence of purpose to this lyric, as well as relentless groove stand out as highlights here. some inventive rhymes,... song is engaging has hip-hop, R&B influences

Take a modern urban beat that you might find on a smooth jazz radio station and layer on a silky smooth voice. Then mix in a groove-driven message of aspiration for something higher. That's what you get when J. Thomas makes music, whether on stage or via his CD, "Just to Bless". Together with his musical partner Christian Houston,(keys/producer/vocalist), J. Thomas,(Jimmie Braden Jr.) sings his heartout, letting his voice take flight. Starting out in a mellow baritone range, his voice can soar into the stratosphere, reaching heights few can match.
But his voice is not the only thing about him that soars. His songs are about his spiritual journey, which is grounded in his faith. They reflect his struggles, his triumphs, and his devotion to his beliefs. He truly puts himself into his music, and tries to bridge the gap between the stories in his religious tradition and his daily life. In "Look at Me", he puts himself in the shoes of the biblical Moses looking at the Red Sea and relates it to his own life, and how his faith has made his life better.
But as well as containing a message, J. Thomas's songs are easy to listen to. His uplifting songs contain strong story lines, melodic verses and catchy hooks that stick in the mind, giving his lush voice a place to play. J. Thomas blends gospel music and it's message together with modern influences that range from hip-hop to R&B to CEquiet jazz. The final product is gospel music like you've never heard before, but which you may very well hear again.

. THOMAS Gets Diverse on Sophomore CD



Written by Mike Parker
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
Fragrance of a Rose
By J. Thomas
Soular Records
Fragrance of a Rose, the sophomore project from crooner J. Thomas, is difficult to pigeonhole into a single genre. The opening track, “Just a Prayer Away,” is a case in point. It starts out with spoken work, eases into a smooth rap layered over a thumping bass and percussion before J. Thomas appears lending mellow baritone lead vocals, and to embellish it all there is a stellar men’s chorus providing the call and response. If you dig that kind of diversity then this is the record for you.
Much the album harks back to the heyday of vocal ensembles like The Four Tops, The Commodores, The Spinners, and maybe even Gladys Knight & the Pips (but from a male perspective of course). “It’s All About Jesus,” “Missing Hymn,” and “Fragrance of a Rose” are classic examples of the style. But J. Thomas doesn’t let any one style settle long enough to ferment. “Love Lifted Me” is old school rap ‘n’roll, and “God Is Watching” is pure Gospel funk.
J. gets into dance mode with “Holy Ghost Rub-off” that recalls the Carman classic, “Holy Ghost Hop.” While he proves adept at each genre, J. Thomas is most effective when he croons a smooth, jazzy, R&B number like “He Chose,” although on “All That I have” it sounds like he is straining to reach the lower register. J. Thomas returns to the genre mixmaster on “Sprinkle Me,” the album’s get-up-and-boogie closer.
If there is one word to describe Fragrance of a Rose it would have to be ‘Groove.’ But in order to properly describe it you would need something like Smooth-Groove-Funk-Gospel-Hiphop-R&B. Yeah, dat’s da ticket!