Joe, All the Things He’s Gonna Do
Joe shares his thoughts now that he has moved to Jive and is finally releasing his long-awaited second album (All That I Am). Listen to the assertion of this extraordinary romantic.
Interview by: 細田日出夫 a.k.a. JAM
This conversation is translated, lightly edited for content and clarity, follows below.
At one time, Joe—Joe Thomas—appeared to be treated as “Mercury Records’ rising star.” But after he took part in “U Will Know” on Jason’s Lyric soundtrack for that same label, his activities came to a sudden halt. It was “All the Things (Your Man Won’t Do)”—that masterpiece—that tore through this long silence. The track, which also caused a stir in Japan, has now paved the way for the release of his second album from his new label, Jive. As Joe heads toward a promising future under new circumstances, let’s take a close listen to his new work, All That I Am, while weaving in some interview excerpts from the man himself.
He began by explaining how he switched from Mercury to Jive:
“The direction the company (Mercury) wanted to go in and what I wanted to do were different. I wanted to create music my own way, but the label just wasn’t interested in me like that. It was a big company, so it was hard to speak up, but I wanted to work with people who really understood me and were passionate about me, so I left Mercury. I asked them to let me leave. After that, I signed on as a writer with Zomba Group’s (the parent company of Jive) music publishing division.
Around that time, I’d just composed the tracks ‘All The Things’ and ‘God’s Work.’ Then Island was working on the ‘Don’t Be A Menace’ soundtrack and asked if they could use those tracks.”
“All the Things” became a single and quickly shot to the top of Billboard’s R&B chart. Not long after, his contract with Jive came through, and here is how that process went in detail:
“When I went to Jive’s office, it seems they kind of took a liking to me… well, I’m joking, but the label approached me later on. I’d been interested in Jive for a while because I’d seen how R. Kelly, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Keith Murray, and other artists there were thriving. It looked like they were getting to work in the way they wanted, so I thought that might be the right place for me.”
It seems that Dave McPherson, who had brought him to Mercury, is now doing A&R at Jive, and that also motivated Joe to head to the Jive office. And so, Jive welcomed him warmly. What theme, then, did he set for the album they produced together?
“Once you listen, you’ll figure it out right away—this album is dedicated to women. It’s love and romance. Right now in R&B there are these direct love songs out there that are kind of like sex with no foreplay, but I want to cherish a more romantic atmosphere. Musically, I also want to strive for something new, so I got producers like Gerald Levert, Rodney Jerkins, and Joey Campbell to collaborate with me. I think that’s why the album really lets you feel many different sides of me at once.”
Certainly, in addition to “All the Things,” which kicks things off, the album is filled with poetic, romantic lyrics and melancholic melodies, resulting in a truly wonderful piece of work that far surpasses his debut album, Everything.
He also shared an interesting anecdote about “All the Things,” so let’s take a look:
“That song started with the melody for the hook suddenly popping into my head. From there, I built it into a complete track. But once we were in the studio, I was just thinking, ‘Man, when I’m done recording, I want to go on vacation.’ I was picturing, like, the Caribbean, some open seaside place like that. And before I knew it, a song with that kind of vibe just came out.”
He seems to be a born romantic. And if there’s a track that showcases his romantic side even more strongly than “All the Things,” it’s probably “Good Girls,” also produced by Joe himself along with Joshua Thompson. From the guitar tones at the start, it grabs you and pulls you right into his world—a truly stunning ballad. As he previously mentioned, he brought in external collaborators like Rodney Jerkins primarily to produce dance numbers, and for these ballads—this one included—Joe himself took the lead for nearly the entire set. It seems he is quite confident about and committed to the ballad aspect.
However, on four tracks—starting with “The Love Scene”—he brought in Edwin Nicholas, known for his work with Gerald Levert, as co-producer. One can’t help being curious about how that came together. Incidentally, the only track from an outside writer/producer is “How Soon,” produced by Gerald Levert (with Edwin Nicholas credited as co-producer) and also composed externally, and it’s a ballad. It might come off slightly understated, but there was no chance the pairing of the two would go badly; it ends up being the highlight of the second half of the album.
At any rate, perhaps riding on the momentum of “All the Things,” his ballads have become extraordinarily refined, so let’s voice that loud and clear. The production is excellent, of course, but the melodies are so exquisite that you can’t help thinking, “I never knew such wonderful tunes were still out there.” I never expected another track to come along so easily that could match “All the Things,” but “Good Girls,” “Love Scene,” “No One Else Comes Close,” and “Love Don’t Make No Sense” are all at that same level. Naturally, Joe’s vocal expression has also become far richer than before—he’s gotten quite adept at controlling his power and restraint. You can tell he’s grown a lot in every respect; he casually mimics labelmate R. Kelly’s vocal style on “How Soon” as though it’s nothing. So who actually influenced him to develop such a singing style, songwriting, and producing approach?
“My parents were devout Christians—Pentecostal, which is a pretty major denomination (Note: Joe is from Columbus, Georgia). Because of that strict upbringing, I wasn’t allowed to listen to R&B when I was young. Even so, I got really into groups like The Gap Band, New Edition, and Guy. There was a time I wanted to be Bobby Brown. As for songwriting, the biggest influences are Babyface and Smokey Robinson. I wasn’t into Smokey in real time, but I’ve collected a lot of his albums. As for a producer, Rod Temperton’s work around the time he produced Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ (credited with composition and arrangement) was fantastic. Actually, I still hang out with him now. And above all else, I was influenced by Stevie Wonder. What I learned from him is immeasurable. I respect him so much across all areas—singing, songwriting, musicianship, and production. Prince and Marvin Gaye also had those kinds of multi-talents.”
He also gave some interesting information about his career before his solo debut:
“When I left Georgia and moved to New Jersey, I was playing guitar in a church. Keith Miller—he worked with me on my first album, do you remember him? He was playing bass there. There was a guy named Noel Goring on keyboards, too, and those guys were early members of a group called 3 Boys From Newark. Through all that, I met Vincent Herbert. The first thing we did as 3 Boys From Newark was the remix of The Deele’s ‘Two Occasions,’ back when Babyface was in the group. That was around ’87.”
I wasn’t surprised that Joe had been in 3 Boys from Newark because it’s in his bio, but I’d never heard before that they did a remix of The Deele’s “Two Occasions” at that time. But I wonder if his memory is correct? In The Deele’s 1993 release An Invitation to Love, there’s a track called “Feel It” (produced by 3 Boys from Newark) where you can clearly hear Joe’s voice. Perhaps this is from around that time.
He goes on to talk about Vincent Herbert:
“Thanks to Vincent Herbert, I was able to get the deal with Mercury. He introduced me to a woman named Tisha who worked at Zomba. Her sister is named Michelle, and she was Vincent’s manager. Now Michelle is my manager. Vincent is overflowing with musical talent, and he’s also a great person. Once he starts getting hyped up, he doesn’t know how to stop.”
They seem to share a strong bond. I’m curious about the changing lineup of 3 Boys From Newark, but not much more came out about that. I’d also like to get his comments another time on Ike Lee III (formerly of 3 Boys From Newark), who seems poised to become the next big deal at Deja Groove.
Meanwhile, Joe, who remains somewhat of a work in progress but has also begun establishing a presence as a producer, talked about which artists he might work with in the future—or which singers he might want to duet with:
“I want to produce a completely new artist. I want to nurture someone with potential. Anyone who’s already debuted is already walking on their own, so they don’t need my help. But I am working on Usher’s new album project right now with Jermaine Dupri and Babyface. As for female singers I’d like to duet with, there are tons, but if I had to pick just one, it’d be Aaliyah. If there’s anyone else who wants to duet with me, I’m down to do it with anyone—but I’ve never considered pairing up with a man. Rappers are different, though. I’ve already worked with KRS-One (the track is unreleased), and I’d also like to collaborate with Nas, Method Man, and LL Cool J. Of course, I’d like to work again with other Jive rappers, too. I bet doing something with Too Short would be really cool.”
The first single from the album—“Don’t Wanna Be a Player,” produced by Rodney Jerkins, also included on the Booty Call soundtrack—is already climbing the charts at a rapid pace. When I first heard it, I was slightly bothered by how blatantly it seemed to follow Timbaland’s style, but precisely because it leans so boldly into that style, it’s apparently getting massive radio airplay in the U.S. That means the plan is working, and people are primed for Joe’s album. Since he’s on Jive, and also a male singer, some will inevitably compare him with R. Kelly, but for now, what he really needs to do is build a foundation of fans—loyal listeners—without overextending himself. He should keep performing live and doing active promotion… the same goes for building his fanbase in Japan.
I really hope he’ll arrange a chance for us to experience his wonderful voice in person. And perhaps next time, we’ll be able to ask more about 3 Boys from Newark’s changing membership. Also, Ike Lee III from that group—who seems to be on the verge of big things at Deja Groove—would be great to talk about as well.
Either way, for now, we’ll just wait and see how quickly Joe becomes “the man of the moment.”