JSOUL is an artist from Baltimore who has been making music since the mid-2000s. Over the years, he has worked with everyone from Wordsworth to Substantial to Deborah Bond to Sy Smith, just to name a few. His last album came in 2022, when he released Levels. Now he’s back with a new project done in collaboration with D.C. vocalist B.Jamelle, Mellowdisiac.

Mellowdisiac is one of the best kinds of musical surprises. By that, I mean that when you first press play on this album, there is a good chance that you’re going to think that this is another by-the-numbers neo-soul album. And don’t get me wrong, I love a good neo-soul album, and if that’s all there was to Mellowdisiac, it would still be a worthwhile endeavor. JSOUL can certainly lay down some laidback grooves, and B.Jamelle has a really nice tone to her voice. The great thing about this project, though, is that this is just the starting point for these two, and as you continue over the course of the album, the project keeps getting more experimental and taking more and more risks, bringing in elements of avantgarde classica, jazz, and gospel, and marrying it with hip hop and R&B. When you bring all of this together, you get an album that sounds more like a Georgia Anne Muldrow joint than Jill Scott. The chemistry between JSOUL and B.Jamelle is key here, and fortunately, they have a great give and take between them. JSOUL keeps things anchored with his production, never trying to do too much, but always providing just enough flair to each track. This in turn allows B.Jamelle the freedom to really experiment with her vocal lines and her lyrics, where she comes up with some really interesting and engaging ideas that will keep your ears perked. It’s the type of project with so many twists and turns and unexpected elements, you really need to listen to it several times through before you really absorb everything about this album.

Mellowdisiac is a great debut project between JSOUL and B.Jamelle. Hopefully they will continue to work together, because they could really make something really special and unique if they built off of this foundation that they’ve laid down.