My Name Is Joe

Joe is hardly an appropriate name for a lover man -- it seems more like a moniker for a custodian than a Casanova-- but that's exactly what Joe is. He's an old-fashioned romantic soul crooner in the vein of Al Green, Marvin Gaye,D'Angelo, and, well, Gregory Abbott. He's not as ambitious as D'Angelo is, but that doesn't really matter,since he delivers the goods on his third album, My Name Is Joe. Joe never oversings or oversells a song, he just lays back and sweetly sings. There may not be much variety or many remarkable songs on the record -- "Get Crunk Tonight" stands out with its stuttering, fade-in-fade-out intro and its stylishly funky beat -- but that doesn't matter because this is essentially a mood record, and that mood is love. And it's not a bad romantic mood-setter, either, since Joe is an appealing vocalist, the production is lush without being syrupy, and the songs are all fairly strong, even if only a handful are exceptional ("Somebody Gotta Be on Top," "Treat Her Like a Lady," "Get Crunk Tonight," the N'Sync duet "I Believe in You"). And, really, that's enough, since anyone that gets hooked by a single from My Name Is Joe just wants an assurance that the album will deliver more of the same --and it does. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

与知名艺人的成功合作，进而顺水推舟将自己的名声与嗓音拱上电台播送的强力媒体效应，在音乐界的例子族繁不及备载，是互蒙其利或提携后进？Mariah Carey找上当红男子偶像四人团体98 Degrees，收起耸著精壮肌肉的招摇影像与于97年即发行个人首张专辑《All that I am》的黑人歌手Joe，共同携手合作一曲Thank God I Found You，除了为彼此的歌唱事业再下一城，也顺势建立个人知名度。这首单曲的成功出击，相继为Mariah Carey当时略为疲软的声势灌注了一点活力，也似乎为Joe带来了晋身众多都会情歌高手中一员的好运气。
不但征服全美，在日本也获得极大回响的这张专辑，令日本的R&B小天后《宇多田光》赞赏不已，并与Joe互相交换对R&B音乐的研究与心得。而这次中国台湾发行版本中，特别收录的「No One Else Comes Close」一曲，更被目前红遍日本的新一代R&B组合翻唱。将Joe比喻为《日本R&B风潮的幕后推手》，实不为过。

拥有过人的演唱嗓音是成功歌手必备的要素之一，讨喜精准的写曲制作功夫更是为Joe的好成绩，堆砌了更是锦上添花的光芒。2000年的新专辑《My Name Is Joe》依旧带来深情男子的成人情爱主题与更多音乐性上的杰出表现，首支单曲I wanna know招牌的心碎情歌，在他的诠释下催促听者内心的过往起伏，也为Joe在排行榜继Thank God I found you后的乘胜追击，在全美的商业电台也赢得高播放率的优异成绩。
而近日发行的新单曲Stutter在激进快嘴Rap歌手Mystikal精彩的跨刀客串下，也以重新混音编曲后的版本，伴随中快板节拍的厚重bass与舞动效果十足的截断音效稳坐冠军位置。专辑的制作群也几乎为一时之选，除却Joe本身引领主控的个人创作，辅以各个R&B/Hip-Hop界的当红制作人的合作发畴，产生一张诚意十足、写照现代都会成人情爱的佳作。由性感女音呓语揭幕Table for two，在Joe的厚实中音演唱下传递一幕幕映入眼帘的男欢女爱，似乎更奠定了新一代的情歌王子地位。
与偶像男子团体'Nsync共同合作的I believe in you依旧是一首舒缓动人的情歌，也再次确定Joe企图一网打尽属于俊美白人男孩团体的一票追星少男少女的用心策略；专辑当中其他作品尚有由She'kspere (TLC, Destiny's Child...)担纲制作的Get crunk tonight、Hip-Hop跨界流行范畴的Steve Stone (Avant, Eboni Foster...)所负责的Treat her like a lady...等动听作品。
回头看看甫推出个人新作的R.Kelly，当初头顶新一代R&B天王的光耀头衔抑或是过火吹捧的"盛名"？在经过新人辈出的流行乐坛的过滤淘汰，发现他的煽情路线或尝试正面励志的招数不再管用后，也不敌声势滑落的窘态。才气出众的Joe在撕去来往情爱的片面歌词后，剩下略嫌无趣且乏善可陈的空洞，多数黑人歌手依循过度包裹的疗伤高手的形象，在相对性质歌手过多的竞争下，容易成为所谓的"One hit wonder"，听著Joe的新作感觉平淡稳当却无所新意，或许既定的深情形象已经奠定，不过还是期望Joe能有更不同于一般黑色男歌手的新气象。

这张全球乐评人与DJ一致推崇的R&B经典作品，溶入了这位新音乐才子的感情与生命，盼望能引领听众进入乐曲浪漫的情境气氛中，在R&B的音乐国度里，漫游爱情的苦涩与甜美，一同为爱情歌颂、伤悲与感动。
如果你喜欢Joe的专辑《My Name Is Joe》里的歌曲可以把下面的歌曲连接发给你的朋友:
1.My Name Is Joe (intro) - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493601.html
2.Somebody Gotta Be On Top - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493602.html
3.Stutter - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493603.html
4.Table For Two - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493604.html
5.I Wanna Know - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493605.html
6.Treat Her Like A Lady - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493606.html
7.Get Crunk Tonight - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493607.html
8.5 6 3 (Joe) - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493608.html
9.Peep Show - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493609.html
10.One Life Stand - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493610.html
11.Black Hawk - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493611.html
12.I Believe In You (with ‘N Sync) - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493612.html
13.So Beautiful - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493613.html
14.Thank God I Found You (Make It Last remix, featuring Mariah Carey/Nas, edit) - Joe
http://www.5nd.com/ting/493614.html