Heaven (Jason Rowe album)

Heaven is the debut album of British neo soul singer Jason Rowe, performing under the name Jai. The album was released on 11 November 1997. While well-reviewed, it would be Rowe's only album for nearly ten years, with Rowe later releasing his second album, Lovelife, under his full name in February 2007.

Heaven
Standard release album cover
Studio album by
Jai (Jason Rowe)
Released11 November 1997 (1997-11-11)
RecordedHoney B Studios, London, UK
GenreSophisti-pop, rock, trip hop, soul
Length48:48
LabelM&G (UK), RCA (USA)
ProducerJoel Bogen
Jai (Jason Rowe) chronology
Heaven
(1997)		 Lovelife
(2006)
European release album cover
Singles from Heaven
  1. "Don't Give Me Away"
    Released: 17 February 1997
  2. "I Believe"
    Released: 5 May 1997
  3. "Heaven"
    Released: 11 August 1997
  4. "Wishing the Rain Away"
    Released: 8 September 1997 (Japan)

The album includes covers of the Arthur Hamilton standard "Cry Me a River", as well as "Magnolia", an early song of J. J. Cale's. "I Believe", which was a moderate hit in the United States, was included in a special song collection compact disc sold around the same time by fashion retailer Banana Republic. A music video directed by Paul Boyd for "I Believe" aired successively on The Box,[1] VH1,[2] and MuchMusic[3] from August 1997 through February 1998.

There are two versions of the album, the alternate having been released in Europe. The cover art is virtually the same for both; in the European release, Jai's face is positioned at the center and occupies the entire frame, and his name and the album's title appear in the lower-left corner with the title both reduced in size and superimposed over his name. More significantly, alternate takes of the songs "Heaven" and "Wishing the Rain Away" appear on these different versions.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB[5]
Los Angeles Times(favorable)[6]
New York Daily News(favorable)[7]
People(favorable)[8]
The Washington Post(favorable)[9]

The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album four out of five stars, describing it as "a stylish amalgam of jazzy sophisti-pop, Motown, swinging '60s rock, trip hop and contemporary soul. While the songwriting in Heaven is uneven, Jai's voice is consistently thrilling, soaring to new soulful heights. That voice – along with songs that show how powerful his updated blue-eyed soul can be, like "I Believe" and "Don't Give Me Away" — is what makes Heaven such a promising and successful debut."[4]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Believe"Jason Rowe, Joel Bogen, Christopher Bemand4:51
2."I Need Love"Rowe, Bogen4:09
3."Let Me In"Rowe, Bogen3:43
4."Cry Me a River"Arthur Hamilton3:45
5."Wishing the Rain Away"Rowe, Bogen4:47
6."Don't Give Me Away"Rowe, Bogen, Rob Watson4:46
7."Heaven"Rowe, Bogen, Bemand4:03
8."You Split Me"Rowe, Bogen, Watson2:56
9."Magnolia"J. J. Cale3:48
10."Something on Your Mind"Rowe, Bogen3:37
11."Open"Rowe, Bogen4:36
12."I Believe (Acoustic Reprise)"Rowe, Bogen, Bemand3:51

Credits

Personnel
  • Jai (Jason Rowe) – lead and backing vocals
  • Christopher Bemand – keyboards
  • Joel Bogen – guitar, keyboards
  • Andy Duncan – percussion ("Heaven")
  • The Electra Strings – strings ("Don't Give Me Away" and "Wishing the Rain Away")
  • Pete Giordino – Hammond organ ("Heaven")
  • Preston Heyman – percussion
  • Paul Hirsch – Hammond organ
  • Honey – barking ("Open")
  • Larry Fifield – additional backing vocals
  • Claudia Fontaine – backing vocals
  • Tony Ford – backing vocals
  • John Miller – additional drums ("Magnolia")
  • Olivia – small child ("Don't Give Me Away")
  • Chuck Sabo – drums
  • Jason Silver – piano and Rhodes piano ("Magnolia"); additional backing vocals
  • Phil Spalding – bass

Production
  • Christopher Bemand – programming
  • Joel Bogen – producer, programming
  • Paul Boswell – agent
  • Andy Duncan – additional programming ("Heaven")
  • Steve Fitzmaurice – mixing
  • Dave Novik – A&R
  • Dick O'Dell – management
  • Chris Porter – additional production and mixing ("Heaven")
  • Stylorouge – design
  • Norman Watson – cover photograph
  • Rob Watson – additional programming ("Don't Give Me Away" and "You Split Me")
  • Tim Young – mastering (Metropolis, UK)
  • Leon Zervos – mastering (Absolute Audio, USA)

Charts

A couple of months following its release, Heaven made a brief appearance on the Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart during the week of 31 January 1998, where it ranked at number 49.[10]

SingleChartPeak PositionDate
"Don't Give Me Away" UK Singles Chart[11] 200 1 March 1997
"I Believe" UK Singles Chart 148 5 May 1997
"Heaven" UK Singles Chart 184 30 August 1997
"Wishing the Rain Away" Tokio Hot 100[12] 15 21 September 1997

Notes
  1. White, T., ed. (23 August 1997). "Billboard Video Monitor: The Clip List". Billboard. New York City, NY: Nielsen Company. 109 (34): 102. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  2. White, T., ed. (4 October 1997). "Billboard Video Monitor". Billboard. New York City, NY: Nielsen Company. 109 (40): 103. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  3. White, T., ed. (7 February 1998). "Billboard Video Monitor: The Clip List". Billboard. New York City, NY: Nielsen Company. 110 (6): 86. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  4. Erlewine, S. T. "Jai: Heaven – Review". Allmusic. Santa Clara, CA: Rovi. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  5. Stevenson, W. (14 November 1997). Seymore, J. W., Jr (ed.). "Music Review: Heaven". Entertainment Weekly. New York City, NY: Time Inc. (405): 92. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  6. Nichols, N. (26 February 1998). Parks, M (ed.). "Pop Music Review: A Mellow but Cool Jai". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA: Tribune Company: 47. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  7. Farber, J. (2 December 1997). Hamill, P (ed.). "New LPs: Pop to Pap to Rap—Jai's Silky Soul, Dull Metallica, a Hip-Hop Sampler and More". New York Daily News. New York City, NY: Mortimer Zuckerman. OCLC 9541172.
  8. Dougherty, S. (22 December 1997). Katz, J (ed.). "Pick and Pans Review: Heaven". People Weekly. New York City, NY: Time Inc. 48 (25): 33–34. ISSN 0093-7673. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  9. Joyce, M. (6 February 1998). Downie, L., Jr (ed.). "JAI "Heaven" RCA". The Washington Post. Washington, DC: The Washington Post Company: N15. ISSN 0190-8286.
  10. White, T., ed. (31 January 1998). "Heatseekers Album Chart". Billboard. New York City, NY: Nielsen Company. 110 (5): 34. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  11. Zywietz, T. "Chart Log UK: 1994–2011". Official Zobbel Website. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  12. White, T., ed. (11 October 1997). "Tokio Hot 100—Hits! in Tokio". Billboard. New York City, NY: Nielsen Company. 109 (41): 92. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 August 2011.

References
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