Photo courtesy of Shanachie Entertainment
Over his forty years of recording, Glenn Jones has rarely been included in the short list of important Soul vocalists. That's a shame, because there are few peers from the 1980s that consistently made material shine in the way that Jones did. While that may be attributable to a perceived lack of distinctiveness and consistency in the material he's covered during that decade, he and his catalog of material have generally been underrated
Over his forty years of recording, Glenn Jones has rarely been included in the short list of important Soul vocalists. That's a shame, because there are few peers from the 1980s that consistently made material shine in the way that Jones did. While that may be attributable to a perceived lack of distinctiveness and consistency in the material he's covered during that decade, he and his catalog of material have generally been underrated
By the mid-90s came and Jones stopped recording, and became more of a touring artist. Then a funny thing happened. In 1998, as part of a minor resurgence of "old school" singers, Barry White, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, James Ingram and a number of other solo artists released new material. Though forgotten by many, at that time Jones quietly released the album It's Time. It was a surprise gem and was perhaps the best of the bunch. With a nice mix of solid upbeat material (such as the great cut "24/7") and ballads, Jones sounded more confident and distinctive than ever. But it was the bluesy, soulful ballad "Baby Come Home" from that album that was a seminal career moment for Jones - perhaps his finest Soul vocal performance ever - and that demonstrated, after fifteen years of solo recordings, that Glenn Jones had developed into one of the world's great R&B vocalists.
"Baby Come Home" is now out of print, but it is a song worth (re)discovering. It is our latest SoulTracks Lost Gem. Check it out below.
SoulTracks Lost Gem
Glenn Jones - "Baby Come Home"