Devone Jones - V.I.R.T.U.E

by Jake
(Maider)

Some artists like to take risks. Huge risks. One such artist is Devone Jones. After not bothering to create a cover album called GLOW (apparently), he's decided to venture out on his own, set up his own label in the form of Paradisio Records, and record his own album.

Well, for starters, you can't admire the sound quality. The tracks Break It Down and I'm Back were recorded poorly and definitely didn't get any mastering attention. On the contrary, in terms of song productions and lyrics, the album is quite marvelous in a very weird way. "Shawty", the lovebirds tune, is just commercially crafted and perfected in almost every way, which makes the song quite catchy and a clear favorite on this album.

"I'm Back", even though it has poor sound quality, has an Akon-Timbaland feel to it and practically sounds like a top ten hit. A very underground/grime favorite has to be I Can Feel You. Powerful vocals mixed in with a cool beat and a thumping bass line creates a rather ballad-y mood for this song. Not a Mariah-type mood, but more of a Tinchy Stryder/Taio Cruz feel.

Overall, after finishing the album with a rather pointless Intro and Outro (nice beat on the Outro though), Devone Jones has a lot to work on, but better will definitely appear pretty soon.