(The Root) — American vocalist José James kicks off a multicity U.S. tour on Jan. 23 in support of the release of his Blue Note Records debut album, No Beginning No End, which hits stores the day before.
A Minneapolis-born singer with Panamanian roots, James mixes genres to make up his sound, pulling from jazz, neo-soul, funk and even a little hip-hop. He showed off his silky tone — which immediately recalls the smooth emotion of "The Bottle"-era Gil Scott-Heron — during his national TV debut on TBS' Conan back in December, when he performed "Trouble." The international leg of the tour, when he will sing in Australia and Asia, runs from Feb. 10 to March 6.
The tour dates are as follows:
Jan. 23: Highline Ballroom; New York, N.Y.
Jan. 24: Howard Theatre; Washington, D.C.
Jan. 26: Scullers, Boston
Jan. 29: Cedar Cultural Center; Minneapolis
Jan. 30: Lincoln Hall; Chicago
Feb. 10-March 6: Asia and Australia Tour
March 9: The New Parish; Oakland, Calif.
March 10: Brick & Mortar Music Hall; San Francisco
March 12: The Del Monte Speakeasy; Los Angeles
You can keep up with James and his music by checking out his website. For now, watch his January Late Show With David Letterman performance below.
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