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Jackiem Joyner on CD

Jackiem burst onto the scene with his babysoul on the tiny ARTizen imprint. His second, Lil' Man Soul on Artistry Music, exploded his pop/urban melodies across the breadth of contemporary jazz consciousness via two #1 singles ("I'm Waiting for You" and "Take Me There") which have together logged at this writing a total of over 21 weeks at the apex of the charts. His newest, the eponymous Jackiem Joyner, boasts yet more radio-friendly tracks including the single "Dance with Me." the young composer/producer also stretches into new territory with the Slash-like guitar burn of "Push" and the syncopated marching band drum opening of "The Reunion." All are sure to be favorites on the Joyner concert trail as he maintains double duty with both his band and as part of Keiko Matsui's outfit. As ever, Jackiem eschews the trends of big-name producers and guest stars, and does almost all of it himself - playing, producing and composing. There are a couple covers: Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and the King of Pop's own "Off the Wall," and a guest guitar solo from Paul Jackson Jr. on "Turn It Up" (which he captured while both were on tour in Reading PA).