JOE Ain't Nothin' Like Me CD

Personnel: Greg Curtis (strings, piano); Kendrick "Wyldcard" Dean (strings, keyboards); Bryan-Michael Cox (keyboards, drums, programming, background vocals); Tim Kelley (keyboards, drum programming); Bobby Douglas, Bob Robinson (keyboards); Abe Vogel (drums); Martin K (drum programming); Adonis Stropshire (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Kevin "KD" Davis; Doug Wilson; Jean-Marie Horvat; Phil Tan; Sam Thomas ; The Underdogs; Tim Kelley; Tom Soares; Brian Stanley .
Recording information: Battery Studios, New York, NY; Brandon's Way, North Hollywood, CA; Doppler Studios; Larrabee North, North Hollywood, CA; Right Track Recording Studios, New York, NY; Silent Sound Studio, Atlanta, GA; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; Sound On Sound Recordings, New York, NY; Tallest Tree Studios, Montclair, NJ; Tree Sound Studios, Norcross, GA; Underlab Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Zac-Stonehenge Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA.
More than three years after 2003's AND THEN, Joe (aka Georgia-born singer Joe Thomas) finally returned with another fine R&B outing, the much-delayed, highly anticipated AIN'T NOTHIN' LIKE ME. Boasting production by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Timbaland, and guest shots by Nas, Chamillionaire, and others, the album is a solid set of contemporary R&B with a sophisticated soul edge that is well-represented by the gentle, emotive single "If I Was Your Man."
Can you think of many R&B artists who first appeared during the new jack swing era and continued to release good, up-to-date albums on a major label throughout the first decade of the 21st century? You probably cannot. If you can, Joe is likely near or at the top of that list. His sixth album -- which went through a number of titles and projected release dates until it landed in April 2007 as Ain't Nothin' Like Me -- is up to the standard of 1997's All That I Am and 2000's My Name Is Joe. Contemporary as ever, Joe seeks production and songwriting assistance from a number of ubiquitous heavyweights and up-and-comers, including the perpetually on-the-rise Tim & Bob (who first worked with Joe on 2000's "So Beautiful"), hot Norwegian team Stargate (Ne-Yo's "So Sick," Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable"), Sean Garrett, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johnta Austin, the Underdogs, and Cool & Dre. A handful of tracks aren't all that necessary, but if you were to trim the sequence down to ten or so, you'd have a 40-minute album that is not too far from faultless. The Tim & Bob, Stargate, and Sean Garrett productions complement each other well, especially within the album's opening four-song stretch. Beats dance and skip, supported by simple and roomy but effectively layered ornamentation -- music box-like melodies, floating synthesizer accents -- that is never laid on too thick. They're ideal for a nuanced vocalist like Joe, who can affect desire, pain, and devotion with the slightest of adjustments. From there, the quality level fluctuates, and there are too many ballads, but "Let's Just Do It" (another spacious, midtempo glider) and "Just Relax" (where Joe and Cool & Dre jack A Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation" and sidestep corniness) are two other standouts. While a very basic name, a lack of flashiness, and sizeable gaps of inactivity have only gotten in the way of his popularity, Joe has maintained relevant and reliable since he debuted. ~ Andy KellmanVibe (p.132) - "[S]urprisingly pleasant....Joe stays young with A-list production and rap cameos on up-tempo numbers like the urgent 'Where You At'..."