Love Jones [Original Soundtrack]

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Producers: Randy Jackson, Dionne Farris, Van Hunt, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef, Pras, Darryl Pearson, Musze, Brice P. Wilson, Jermaine Dupri, Samuel J. Sapp, Cassandra Wilson, Marcus Miller, The Brand New Heavies, Cassie, A Touch Of Jazz, Kenny Lattimore, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Bob Thiele. The soundtrack to the film Love Jones is arguably one of the best soundtracks of the 1990s. This neo-soul gem features a myriad of the decade's most prolific R&B acts, including Lauryn Hill, Dionne Farris, Groove Theory, Maxwell, Xscape, Brand New Heavies, Kenny Lattimore, and Me'Shell Ndeg�Ocello, as well as tracks from jazz maestros Cassandra Wilson, Duke Ellington, and John Coltrane. The whole album flows like a classy, smooth set of perfect soul songs before shifting gears into jazz for the last several tracks. Lauryn Hill's "The Sweetest Thing" is just what its title implies, and stands as one of the hip-hop chanteuse's most lovely recordings, with her warm, melancholy vocals set against an acoustic backdrop courtesy of the Refugee Camp All-Stars. Dionne Farris' "Hopeless" is an intelligent, timeless gem of a ballad, and Xscape's version of "In the Rain" is just dripping with pure, unadulterated soul. Maxwell's hit "Sumthin' Sumthin'" is turned into an oozing, ultra-smooth ballad, highlighted by his signature falsetto, and long-absent neo-soul favorites Groove Theory provide a sexy and understated hip-hop cut with "Never Enough," which features Amel Larrieux's always welcome vocals. Trina Broussard's "Inside My Love" makes one feel as though they were watching her sing in an intimate club, and Cassandra Wilson's sublime "You Move Me" is the album's five-star track, with endless emotion packed into her brilliant, low-key performance. Finally, Brand New Heavies lend a welcome dose of up-tempo funk with "I Like It." At the time of this album's release, most soundtracks included one or two new songs sandwiched between a bunch of filler and recycled tracks. Love Jones is a rare example of a flawless soundtrack album, and, dare we say, ranks as one of the best R&B albums of the 1990s, period. ~ Jose F. Promis This soulful R&B and jazz soundtrack is a valentine to love itself, and it features mostly new tracks by first-rank artists. Among them are the Refugee Camp All-Stars, whose intense "The Sweetest Thing" was produced by two of the three Fugees and features Fugees singer Lauryn Hill; it's yet another showcase of Fugeean diversity. R&B singer Dionne Farris admits a weakness for a man in "Hopeless." Maxwell offers an alternate version of "Sumthin' Sumthin'," with its seductive groove. The soundtrack also includes a couple of classic jazz recordings, including Duke Ellington and John Coltrane's version of "In A Sentimental Mood."

Entertainment Weekly (3/14/97, p.81) - "Not since TRAINSPOTTING has a film's soundtrack so successfully captured its mood. True romance blooms in the movie 'Love Jones,' and you can practically feel the longing in the hearts of Maxwell and the Fugees' Lauryn Hill as they smolder through their R&B..." - Rating: B JazzTimes (8/97, p.73) - "...creating an intoxicating urban soundscape that succeeds without brand-name tie-ins...you have an example of what urban radio would sound like if it ever got its priorities straight. And one of the year's best soundtracks." Vibe (5/97, p.114) - "...'Bout time a soundtrack was rooted in its parent film, with both telling an intelligent story of two folks determined to stand in love..." The Source (5/97, p.140) - "...The soundtrack to LOVE JONES...tosses in some more traditional jazz elements for good measure--making for an album that yields several hot moments amidst the usual smattering of mixed bag compilation blues..." Rap Pages (6/97, p.88) - "...LOVE JONES is the best Hip-Hop genre Black film soundtrack since the now-legendary BOOMERANG....bids farewell to the days of the bump-n-grind R&B quickie shit. R&B should be as creative as Hip-Hop..."

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