The root of Lean on Me is in a Bill Withers medley that became part of José James' set lists. It went down so well that Blue Note boss Don Was convinced the singer to take it a step farther with a studio album of songs by Withers, the everyman soul paragon who started late – 32 in 1971, when his first LP was released – and finished early. Withers' '80s exit was so uncommonly abrupt and final that neither a documentary nor a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction has prevented the general public from sending "When did Bill Withers passed [sic] away?" to the top of the "People also ask" chart generated by Googling the name.
Combining the jazz-crooner elegance of Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole with the sophistication of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, Merry Christmas From Jose James raises the bar for the contemporary Christmas album. Covering 10 songs - including two originals by James and his partner Talia Billig - James breathes new life into much-loved holiday classics such as "The Christmas Song", "White Christmas" and "Let it Snow." Also includes a joyful rendition of John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things." Accompanied by Grammy Award-winner Ben Williams (bass), Grammy nominated artists Aaron Parks (piano) and Marcus Strickland (saxophone) and rising-star Jharis Yokely (drums) "Merry Christmas from José James" is a world-class holiday experience from one of the greatest living voices in jazz.