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Review: In full seduction mode, Jose James takes a step back

Jose James, "Love in a Time of Madness" (Blue Note Records)

After a few thrilling years of experimentation with R&B, hip-hop, electronica, neo-soul, indie rock and jazz, Jose James re-emerges this month in a quiet, more personal place. You might even call it a bedroom.

"Love in a Time of Madness" is heavy on the love and light on the madness. There's the piano-driven jazz of "To Be With You," the funky Bruno Mars-like "Ladies Man" and two seduction tunes worthy of D'Angelo, "Always There" and "You Know I Know."

It's all very fun and sexy but there's precious little special. You can't help feeling it's a big step back from the singer-songwriter's "While You Were Sleeping," his last album of original material that was astonishing in its ambition with songs such as "EveryLittleThing" and "Angel."

Instead, we're offered the disorientating dubstep of "Last Night" with more beeps than R2-D2, the lazy pop of "Remember Our Love" and "Breakthrough," and the '70s disco-funk of "Live Your Fantasy." Lyrics as vapid as "If you wanna go/I wanna go/Girl you so sweet when the lights are low" from "Closer," don't help.

He only surfaces from his neo-soul seduction efforts for two duets - with Oleta Adams on the gospel-tinged (and awkward fitting) "I'm Yours," and a pretty, unforced "Let It Fall" with Mali Music. But James, whose last CD explored the music of Billie Holiday, seems to have taken his own holiday.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

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