A 2007 best-of compilation tied a bow around
Donell Jones' four-album, decade-long spell on LaFace. It took three years for the singer to resurface with his own label (supported by eOne), and while he returns with an independent release featuring little in the way of star-power support --
Yung Joc guests,
Mike City produces one track, and that's about it -- the majority of it convincingly picks up where 2006's
Journey of a Gemini left off.
Jones has nothing to prove nor to lose, and that's the way this album sounds. He writes, plays, and produces most of the material and gets only a small amount of instrumental assistance. The probing "Imagine That" and "Blackmail," along with delicate-but-durable slow jams like "Love Like This" and "The Finer Things in Life," will be enough to please
Jones' followers. That said, when it comes to the two dance-pop detours, one of which features a lead vocal from
Jones' niece, the jury could be out until album number six. ~ Andy Kellman