Man Crush Monday: Blindsided by Luke James
I don’t usually participate in Man Crush Monday but I think Luke James (a.k.a. Wolf James) is deserving of the title for today. There isn’t much new music that comes out that hits me but somewhere between the end of September and now, Luke James’ music did just that. He has been around for a few years, writing music for other artists like Keri Hilson, Chris Brown and others, releasing mixtapes, and he went on the Mrs. Carter Tour back in 2013. I saw Beyonce perform on that tour at the Essence Fest but got there after Luke James’ set. It didn’t bother me much then but man, I now wish I had gotten to see him.
I don’t know how I first got introduced to LJ but the first song of his that I recall hearing is, “I Want You.” I thought it was a nice song and I really enjoyed his falsetto but it still didn’t grab me. And then his album came out. I got it, listened and thought it was solid. Then, I listened again and really enjoyed it and then I listened again and again and again and realized that holy crap, I really, really like this guy! Last weekend alone all I listened to was Luke James. I listened at home and then during my travels throughout the city on Saturday. On Sunday, I downloaded his previous mixtapes and other singles of his that I could get my hands on and I can’t wait to check those out too.
I then followed Luke James on Twitter and Instagram (go lurk his Instagram, y’all, the man is foine), and then I pulled up live performances of his on YouTube and discovered that he sounds just as good live, falsetto included so yeah, I have a problem. He is now up there along with Jose James, Omar, Eric Roberson and Raheem DeVaughn as one of my favorite men in R&B. I want them all to do a tour. If not a tour, we could start small. Hopefully Jose James and Luke James find each other and collaborate, not because they both have James in their names but because sonically, I think they have some similarities that would mesh really well.
Category: Music
About the Author (Author Profile)
Starrene Rhett Rocque is a recovering journalist who often fantasizes about becoming a shotgun-toting B-movie heroine.Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
