Ro James’ music is cut from the cloth of a pristine vintage denim jacket. It’s the kind of neosoul music that would sound best on a record player in a candlelit room, or from a jukebox in a swanky room. On his recent debut album ELDORADO, James captures elements of the past, and immerses them with those of the present to create tracks and a project that’s even greater than the sum of its parts. At the center of his soul music, like all good soul music, are the vocals. All over the record James flexes his vocal range, elevating his suave, honey-whiskey vocals at will to devastating effect. His lyrics have a similiar conversational, casual quality to Frank Ocean’s.
The more contemporary elements of the album come in the instrumentals. James sings over arrangements that only take what they need, often featuring only percussion and distorted synth or acoustic guitar. They provide the perfact backdrop for James to reach past speakers and touch hearts directly with his vocals. ELDORADO is overall a really strong effort, and should solidify James in the pantheon of his genre’s best along with the likes of Gallant and .Anderson Paak. You can catch him at MSG, of all places, on 11/10. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber