Like my other favourite house DJ/producer Kerri Chandler, Jovonn knows how to make a deep, bassline driven tune with an underground feeling. And like Kerri Jovonn developed his own sound over the years and you can recognize a Jovonn tune after the first beats.
After various releases from the beginning of the 90ies until today on such illustrious labels like Atlantic (Ceybil's Love So Special), Emotive (Valerie Johnsons's Step Into My Life), Kult (Tanisha's I'm A Lover), Estereo (New York EP), King Street Chavel Simms' Get Away) or on his own labels Goldtone Records (the legendary Raw To The Core EP) and Next Moov (AJ's Searching) we finally see the release of a full length album by Jovonn.
Spirit starts with with a piano intro and then kicks off with One Less Flute To Play, a great instrumental groove with a magic flute. And it get's even better with Don't Waste Your Time with Stephanie Cooke on lead vocals (and her husband Kenny Bobien on background vocals), not unsimiliar to Stephanie's Joy on Estereo.
Strong Enough is another great vocal track with Kenny Bobien on leads. You may remember his collaboration with Jovonn on Another Day for Kenny's album A Gospel Theory on Soundmen On Wax and Strong Enough is just as good as Another Day.
The third great uptempo song on Spirit is Somebody Else, again it's Stephanie Cooke with Kenny Bobien on Backgrounds and some mean lyrics ('Who's gonna love me when you ain't around?/ Somebody else baby').
Track Mode is a strong instrumental track with a fierce organ solo and as deep as a curch attendance in New Jersey.
Jovonn not only knows how to create fine uptempo garage songs but also provides us with some releaxed late night stuff like Little Drummer Boy, Candle In The Sand, the title song Spirit or the downtempo ballad Heart Beat. There's even an R&B/urban influenced song with Let Loose let Go.
Spirit is a very good and diverse album and a garage/New Jersey purist's dream coming true.