José James will reissue Blackmagic, his second album, originally released via Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings a decade ago.

James, a Minneapolis-born singer, signed to Brownswood with a track on Peterson’s first Brownswood Bubblers compilation, and he went on to release two albums on the London label, beginning with 2007’s The Dreamer, with its dusky jazz grooves and James’ silky vocals.

Blackmagic, the followup, features lo-fi hip-hop production from Flying Lotus, Moodymann, and Taylor McFerrin. Across 13 songs, James takes a soulful journey into the history of Black music, connecting the dots between soul, R&B, hip-hop, and London’s broken-beat and dubstep movements. Highlights include the Moodymann-produced Marvin Gaye tribute “Detroit Loveletter” and the spaced out jazz meets hip-hop of “Blackmagic.”

The re-release comes through James’ own Rainbow Blonde Records, and includes new photography by Hassan Hajjaj plus four new live tracks recorded in Brooklyn with an all-star band.

In 2018, James also reissued The Dreamer, remastered with four bonus tracks.

Tracklisting

01. Code
02. Touch
03. Lay You Down
04. Promise In Love
05. Warrior
06. Made For Love
07. Save Your Love For Me
08. The Greater Good
09. Blackmagic
10. Detroit Loveletter
11. Love Conversation
12. Beauty
13. No Tellin’ (I Need You)
14. Blackmagic (The Brooklyn Sessions)
15. Code (The Brooklyn Sessions)
16. Made For Love (The Brooklyn Sessions)
17. Save Your Love For Me (The Brooklyn Sessions)

Blackmagic: 10th Anniversary Edition LP is scheduled for August 28 digital release. You can read more about it here.