“Signature” was released in 2009 and dropped as the eighth album from the R&B singer Joe Thomas (although known mononymously as Joe). The crooner first hit it big with the new Jack Swing jam “I’m In Luv” back in 1993 and was known mostly for his such as “Stutter”, “All The Things” and “I Wanna Know” through the nineties and into the ‘00s. Though mainstream attention has lessened, he still has continued to churn out new material and this 2009 album helped him to show that he hasn’t lost what he brought during the key R&B turning point during the nineties.
1. “Majic”
We get the album off to a great start here as you find that you get a track from the singer where he brings forward a song that dropped as the lead single to the album and in spite of the fact that it didn’t really get too much exposure (or perform too well when it came to the charts) you see that here you get him putting on a great performance with a soothing slow jam to get the thing started.
**Five Stars**
2. “Sex Girl”
On this one as he works with MackMan on the production you see that you get a tune that has him attempting much more to come out with a track that fits in with contemporary trends where R&B is concerned and I really can’t say that I wasn’t
pleased with the results as he gets on some soft Snap Music grooves to support him as he performs a classy slow jam where he lets his great vocals do what they are best at.
**Four Stars**
3. “Very Special Friend”
Here you see that there is a bit of a change to the way that he goes about things as he brings a tune that has him bringing forward material that I felt was able to show Joe working in classic form. It was apparent that this would become the place from early on as you see that he uses a past hit of his and re-works it into the melodies to make it feel familiar and as if he’s not moving on too far as he progresses here.
**Four Stars**
4. “Friends Don’t Let Friends”
This is a powerful tune on the album and one that stands out massively as it is the first one on the album where you find him getting down to the sorts of things that the majority of his listeners were expecting to get from him as he throws down some sensual material and ensures that it has the same impact as such killers as “All The Things” and “I Wanna Know” as he gets down to it and makes another banger of a tune.
**Five Stars**
5. “Worst Case Scenario”
The intense material is seen to have been traded in for something that is likely to connect with a much wider audience and I felt that it was a nice move from him here as in spite of the fact that I enjoy the deeper ends of his work, when he lightens it all, you see just how well he is able to construct material that doesn’t have such strong feelings attached to so you can just mellow out to it.
**Five Stars**
6. “Wanna Be Your Lover”
This one has a heavy punch to it and one that finds him taking control of the production himself in order to show just how far he has come along over the years to the point where it simply isn’t anything to throw together such a complete work as this one where he takes influence from the seventies Soul scene and brings it up to modern times without much apparent effort that stands as amongst the best from the album.
**Five Stars**
7. “Miss My Baby”
I simply couldn’t take this one as it was just far too funky for its own good and you see that in it the singer is able to go off with material that he really should not have brought to the mainstream’s attention by preventing it from becoming one of the singles. It is raw and the fact that he was the one and only producer behind it shows that he is really still hasn’t come close to losing the sort of quality that came from early in his career.
**Ten Stars**
8. “Come Get To This”
Here you get a tune that stands as a big one on the release and although I can’t claim to have enjoyed it just as much as the one prior to it, I felt that it was a nice inclusion to the album as you get a first-hand feel of who has gone on to influence his work as he covers some Marvin Gaye material and brings a song that takes on a lot of that period’s feel in the production to match the way that it is written.
**Five Stars**
9. “Metaphor”
This one has a “All The Things” feel to it and with it having foundations in such an killer jam, I simply couldn’t help but think it was a heavy jam from the record and one that brings out the best in what he has got to offer the listeners and one that finds him bringing through a tune that has him making the most out of his vocal abilities and his strengths when it comes to song writing too (although some may pull it down and consider it to be unoriginal for taking from past work that he’s had success from).
**Four Stars**
10. “Love’s Greatest Episode”
Here you see that you get a tune that features impactful production that takes you by surprise and forces you to really take attention and get involved with what you get on the tune and all that it has to offer. You see that he goes for a tune done in a fairly high pace whilst he gets back down to his epic bedroom material that really made his career and topped things for him as he dropped his sophomore release in 1997.
**Five Stars**
11. “Sensitive Love”
The album ends on a high as you see that he brings a tune that represents the album well as it finds that he brings a fly two-stepping party jam where he is able to balance the sort of things that come in handy when constructing a slow jam in addition to the kinds of things that are needed for the most energetic displays that he has come with over the years (most notably the Pharcyde-sampling “Stutter”).
**Five Stars**
This is a banger of a release from Joe and one that clearly displays that he hasn’t flopped since going independent (after finding about how R. Kelly prevented him from ever getting the chance to overshadow any of Kells’ releases on Jive Records. It is filled with killer tunes and I can’t say that there is anything to really pull it down that much.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Well deserved it but I am going to come back with an E because I have run out!
Great review and just what I needed. I am so demanding! ;-)
Going to download it now....
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (95%):
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