James Jr. reworks The Isley Brothers classic hit “Don’t Say Goodnight” Posted By: Rick JammPosted date: June 07, 2016in: News1 Comment Mound Bayou, Mississippi born singer, songwriter, and producer James Jr. remakes former collaborating associates, The Isley Brothers, classic hit “Don’t Say Goodnight” with a “Zapp” twist. The original version of this track reached No.1 on the R&B charts during 1980. James Jr. keeps and the tempo and feel pretty much the same but ‘re-tunes’ the lead vocal with the Zapp work over and made famous by Roger Troutman’s talkbox. Younger folks today will think of it as the T-Pain vocoder sound, but this stuff walked straight out of the funky 80s. So who better than James Jr. to take it back to its roots. James Jr. James Jr. However it was about time that this R&B classic was brought back to the neighborhood. And James Jr. basically gives the track a smooth, clean groovecentric flavor. It’s been said that there was a shortage of high quality R&B music. However correct or incorrect that is, this song would stand out as a strong example of the contrary to that point of view. James Jr. vocals here summon up emotions of love, joy, and sensual longings, just as much as the original version did. He knows how to express his feelings. “Don’t Say Goodnight” shows James Jr. versatile style and his way of delivering a message through music, regardless of whether it’s an original or somebody else’s song. He sounds just as comfortable here as he does in any of his previous releases. This mixture of classic R&B sounds with the production values of today really works on many levels. This is a great combination of message and music that I highly recommend from an artist that has been around the block…more than once! MORE ABOUT: James Jr. has had the luxury of performing and collaborating with several of the great musical legends of the 70’s and 80’s such as the great group Isley Jasper Isley on the creation of “Caravan of Love” and more from 1984 until the group dissolved in 1987. Barbara Joyce, the funk disco groupB.T. Express, and Men at Large. Zapp and Roger (Roger Troutman) are also among those James has built a lasting personal relationship with and shared his gifts and skills with on their projects such as hits “More Bounce to the Ounce,” “Dance Floor,” and “Computer Love.” James Jr. is stepping up his career even further as he just inked a new distribution deal with Rick Ross Music Group, founded by the infamous Ricky “Freeway” Ross, as well as signed under new management with celebrity business manager Robert Terell of Wealth Nation Entertainment.