Heaven is the debut album of British neo soul singer Jason Rowe, performing under the name Jai. The album was released on 11 November 1997. While well-reviewed, it would be Rowe's only album for nearly ten years, with Rowe later releasing his second album, Lovelife, under his full name in February 2007.
| Heaven | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard release album cover | ||||
| Studio album by Jai (Jason Rowe) | ||||
| Released | 11 November 1997 | |||
| Recorded | Honey B Studios, London, UK | |||
| Genre | Sophisti-pop, rock, trip hop, soul | |||
| Length | 48:48 | |||
| Label | M&G (UK), RCA (USA) | |||
| Producer | Joel Bogen | |||
| Jai (Jason Rowe) chronology | ||||
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| European release album cover | ||||
 | ||||
| Singles from Heaven | ||||
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The album includes covers of the Arthur Hamilton standard "Cry Me a River", as well as "Magnolia", an early song of J. J. Cale's. "I Believe", which was a moderate hit in the United States, was included in a special song collection compact disc sold around the same time by fashion retailer Banana Republic. A music video directed by Paul Boyd for "I Believe" aired successively on The Box,[1] VH1,[2] and MuchMusic[3] from August 1997 through February 1998.
There are two versions of the album, the alternate having been released in Europe. The cover art is virtually the same for both; in the European release, Jai's face is positioned at the center and occupies the entire frame, and his name and the album's title appear in the lower-left corner with the title both reduced in size and superimposed over his name. More significantly, alternate takes of the songs "Heaven" and "Wishing the Rain Away" appear on these different versions.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[5] |
| Los Angeles Times | (favorable)[6] |
| New York Daily News | (favorable)[7] |
| People | (favorable)[8] |
| The Washington Post | (favorable)[9] |
The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album four out of five stars, describing it as "a stylish amalgam of jazzy sophisti-pop, Motown, swinging '60s rock, trip hop and contemporary soul. While the songwriting in Heaven is uneven, Jai's voice is consistently thrilling, soaring to new soulful heights. That voice – along with songs that show how powerful his updated blue-eyed soul can be, like "I Believe" and "Don't Give Me Away" — is what makes Heaven such a promising and successful debut."[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Believe" | Jason Rowe, Joel Bogen, Christopher Bemand | 4:51 |
| 2. | "I Need Love" | Rowe, Bogen | 4:09 |
| 3. | "Let Me In" | Rowe, Bogen | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Cry Me a River" | Arthur Hamilton | 3:45 |
| 5. | "Wishing the Rain Away" | Rowe, Bogen | 4:47 |
| 6. | "Don't Give Me Away" | Rowe, Bogen, Rob Watson | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Heaven" | Rowe, Bogen, Bemand | 4:03 |
| 8. | "You Split Me" | Rowe, Bogen, Watson | 2:56 |
| 9. | "Magnolia" | J. J. Cale | 3:48 |
| 10. | "Something on Your Mind" | Rowe, Bogen | 3:37 |
| 11. | "Open" | Rowe, Bogen | 4:36 |
| 12. | "I Believe (Acoustic Reprise)" | Rowe, Bogen, Bemand | 3:51 |
Credits
editPersonnel
edit- Jai (Jason Rowe) – lead and backing vocals
- Christopher Bemand – keyboards
- Joel Bogen – guitar, keyboards
- Andy Duncan – percussion ("Heaven")
- The Electra Strings – strings ("Don't Give Me Away" and "Wishing the Rain Away")
- Pete Giordino – Hammond organ ("Heaven")
- Preston Heyman – percussion
- Paul Hirsch – Hammond organ
- Honey – barking ("Open")
- Larry Fifield – additional backing vocals
- Claudia Fontaine – backing vocals
- Tony Ford – backing vocals
- John Miller – additional drums ("Magnolia")
- Olivia – small child ("Don't Give Me Away")
- Chuck Sabo – drums
- Jason Silver – piano and Rhodes piano ("Magnolia"); additional backing vocals
- Phil Spalding – bass
Production
edit- Christopher Bemand – programming
- Joel Bogen – producer, programming
- Paul Boswell – agent
- Andy Duncan – additional programming ("Heaven")
- Steve Fitzmaurice – mixing
- Dave Novik – A&R
- Dick O'Dell – management
- Chris Porter – additional production and mixing ("Heaven")
- Stylorouge – design
- Norman Watson – cover photograph
- Rob Watson – additional programming ("Don't Give Me Away" and "You Split Me")
- Tim Young – mastering (Metropolis, UK)
- Leon Zervos – mastering (Absolute Audio, USA)
Charts
editA couple of months following its release, Heaven made a brief appearance on the Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart during the week of 31 January 1998, where it ranked at number 49.[10]
| Single | Chart | Peak Position | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Don't Give Me Away" | UK Singles Chart[11] | 200 | 1 March 1997 |
| "I Believe" | UK Singles Chart | 148 | 5 May 1997 |
| "Heaven" | UK Singles Chart | 184 | 30 August 1997 |
| "Wishing the Rain Away" | Tokio Hot 100[12] | 15 | 21 September 1997 |
Notes
edit- ^ White, T., ed. (23 August 1997). "Billboard Video Monitor: The Clip List". Billboard. 109 (34). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 102. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- ^ White, T., ed. (4 October 1997). "Billboard Video Monitor". Billboard. 109 (40). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 103. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- ^ White, T., ed. (7 February 1998). "Billboard Video Monitor: The Clip List". Billboard. 110 (6). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 86. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- ^ a b Erlewine, S. T. "Jai: Heaven – Review". Santa Clara, CA: AllMusic. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ Stevenson, W. (14 November 1997). Seymore, J. W. Jr (ed.). "Music Review: Heaven". Entertainment Weekly (405). New York City, NY: 92. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ Nichols, N. (26 February 1998). Parks, M (ed.). "Pop Music Review: A Mellow but Cool Jai". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA: 47. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ Farber, J. (2 December 1997). Hamill, P (ed.). "New LPs: Pop to Pap to Rap—Jai's Silky Soul, Dull Metallica, a Hip-Hop Sampler and More". New York Daily News. New York City, NY. OCLC 9541172.
- ^ Dougherty, S. (22 December 1997). Katz, J (ed.). "Pick and Pans Review: Heaven". People. 48 (25). New York City, NY: 33–34. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ Joyce, M. (6 February 1998). Downie, L. Jr (ed.). "JAI "Heaven" RCA". The Washington Post. Washington, DC: N15. ISSN 0190-8286.
- ^ White, T., ed. (31 January 1998). "Heatseekers Album Chart". Billboard. 110 (5). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 34. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ Zywietz, T. "Chart Log UK: 1994–2011". Official Zobbel Website. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ White, T., ed. (11 October 1997). "Tokio Hot 100—Hits! in Tokio". Billboard. 109 (41). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 92. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
References
edit- Bambarger, B. (23 May 1998). White, T (ed.). "A Retooled RCA Is Once Again a Hit-Maker". Billboard. 110 (21). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 7, 86. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Bronson, F. (27 December 1997 – 3 January 1998). White, T (ed.). "The Year in Music: The Critics' Poll". Billboard. 109 (52). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: YE-44. ISSN 0006-2510.
- DiCostanzo, F. (4 April 1998). White, T (ed.). "Merchants & Marketing: Tower Steps into the Tour Arena". Billboard. 110 (14). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 55, 57. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Flick, L. (25 October 1997). White, T (ed.). "Reviews & Previews—Singles: New & Noteworthy". Billboard. 109 (43). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 79. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Flick, L. (28 February 1998). White, T (ed.). "Reviews & Previews—Singles: Pop". Billboard. 110 (9). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 71. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Gardner, E. (11 January 1998). Parks, M (ed.). "Cutting a Sharp Figure". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA: 64. ISSN 0458-3035.
- Hess, S. (16 February 1998). "Jai Finds Heaven". Rolling Stone. New York City, NY. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008.
- Hirschorn, M., ed. (November 1997). "Coverage: Kids These Days". Spin. 13 (8). Los Angeles, CA: 48. ISSN 0886-3032.
- Sexton, P. (2 August 1997). White, T (ed.). "RCA Expects Jai to Fill Market Niche with His Soulful Sound". Billboard. 109 (31). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 1, 91. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Taylor, C. (7 March 1998). White, T (ed.). "Radio Programming—Air Waves: U.S. Proves More Receptive to Heavenly Hybrid of Soul, Club from Britain's Jai". Billboard. 110 (10). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 70. ISSN 0006-2510.
- White, T., ed. (9 August 1997). "International: BMG's European Execs Get Up to Speed at Crete Conference". Billboard. 109 (32). New York City, NY: Nielsen Company: 35. ISSN 0006-2510.