‘When we heard ‘Sara Smile,’ it inspired me to write a song to go with this sample. ‘It’s a real feel-good record ‘ I had fun writing this song with Tim and Bob.’Īnother notable song is ‘Cry,’ a heartfelt, emotional ballad which includes a sample of the Hall & Oates hit, ‘Sara Smile.’ ‘We were in the studio, and we were thinking of sampling a Hall & Oates song,’ recalled Jones. With its smooth groove and hooky harmonies, this is exactly the type of song which keep Jones locked in with his fan base. Jones does return to his classic R&B/pop style on his new single, the midtempo ‘I’m Gonna Be,’ which he wrote with Tim and Bob (Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson). They say they play R&B, but it’s usually a R&B song which includes a rap on it.’ Donell Jonesīesides ‘Better Start Talking,’ there are a number of other strong, uptempo cuts on the album, such as: ‘Spend The Night’ and ‘Lust Or Love’ (written by Jones & Mike City) ‘Feelin’ You’ (Jones with Tim and Bob) and ‘If U Want’ (which features a rap by Bun B.). ‘There are a lot of radio stations now that need to have a rap on every song they play. ‘These days, it definitely helps to have a rap on songs for added radio airplay,’ explained Jones. ‘Better Start Talking’ is one of several songs on the album which features a rap vocal appearance.
The first single from the album was the club hit ‘Better Start Talking,’ which features a rap by top writer/producer Jermaine Dupri, and was written by Dupri, Sean Garrett (who’s had hits with Ciara and Usher) & Ryan Leslie. Sometimes your fans hear your new record and it sounds different to them, and they wonder what you’re doing.’ ‘As I collaborated on these new songs, I did want to make sure that I stayed true to my fan base, and I believe I’ve done this. Working with a lot of different people on this project has opened me up, and has made me a better writer.’ But once I got with these guys, I learned from them and they learned what I do. ‘I usually produce and write the songs myself, or with Eddie F. Pitts is known for his hit success with Usher and the late Notorious B.I.G. ‘It took a lot of persuading by my A&R exec Mark Pitts, to get me to write with other people,’ he said. To get the freshest new tracks, Jones made the decision to collaborate more, and work with these top writer/producers. So I wanted to make sure I had a good balance of songs for the new album.’
It didn’t have the club and dance records on it. ‘I loved the last album, but I realized it had too many ballads. ‘This album has much more uptempo and midtempo songs,’ said Jones. The result is a very contemporary mix of songs, with more uptempo cuts than Life Goes On, which consisted mostly of ballads. But on Journey of a Gemini, Jones decided to reach out and collaborate with several of the hottest R&B/hip-hop writer/producers, such as Jermaine Dupri, Sean Garrett, Mike City, the Underdogs, and Tim and Bob. On his first three albums, Jones wrote and produced most of the songs by himself (or occasionally with ‘Eddie F’ Ferrell). This is the first time that an album by Jones has debuted at #1 on this chart. This album is already off to an excellent start on the charts, debuting at #15 on The Billboard 200, and at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Now after a four-year hiatus, Jones returns with his fourth album Journey of a Gemini, on LaFace/Zomba Records. Then he broke through as an artist, scoring a platinum album with Where I Wanna Be (in 1999) and going gold with Life Goes On (2002), which spawned the chart hits ‘U Know What’s Up,’ ‘Where I Wanna Be’ and ‘You Know That I Love You.’
He first achieved success as a songwriter, penning the hits ‘Think Of You’ for Usher and ‘Get It Together’ for 702. For the past decade, Donell Jones has been a top singer/songwriter & producer who is known for creating smooth, urban soul hits.
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