Photo credit: www.kjonmusic.com
R&B recording artist K’Jon is back with his sophomore project and he is in a bit of a tricky spot. His first single of his first album was a MAJOR HIT. “On the Ocean” stayed on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Song Chart for 75 weeks, breaking the record set by Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You”. When an artist has that type of immediate success, the expectation is that he’ll duplicate it. Also adding to the pressure are fans like myself, who identified so readily with “On The Ocean” and adopted it as a personal theme. I’d be just fine with K’Jon recording “On The Ocean–Part 2-59”. But, not content to just rest on past success, K’Jon aptly named his second album Moving On.
Like the old albums and cassettes, K’Jon verbally announces an “A Side” and a “B Side” to the album. “Side A” has the uptempo cuts like “Bad Gurl”; a nod to his steppin’/ballroom/club fans. He even features a “Bad Gurl” choreographed dance in the video for the song. In fact, all of the songs on “Side A” blend together as club tracks. One song doesn’t stand out more than the others. But, “Side B” offers more of the sound that many fans of the self-proclaimed “Ocean Man” enjoy from K’Jon–mid-tempo, smoothed out cuts like “Wonderland” and “Moving On”. K’Jon tackles the serious issue of suicide on the first single, “Will You Be There” and his vocal growth is evident on that song as well. “Take This Dollar” is refreshing and upbeat with a familiar, old-school melody. It would be nice to see that song emerge as a single. Overall, Moving On, especially the “B Side” is a good effort and further displays the musical personality we’ve come to recognize from K’Jon.
Listen to the interview below as K’Jon talks to Grown Folks Music about his musical journey, his new album and more…
