It's been 18 years since Mya first popped onto the scene with catchy single "It's All About Me" featuring Sisqo, but her seventh studio project finds the singer in a curious place. The Washington, DC Native is too well known for Smoove Jones to be termed a comeback album, yet not well known enough for this album to make a lasting impact.
At 12 tracks, the independent release is solidly produced, and tracks like "Welcome to My World," "Team You" and "Elevator" recall late-'90s/early '00s R&B, but numbers like "Hold On" and "Phya" feel regressive and carry little weight. On Smoove Jones, Mya seems content to stay in her zone, and outside of the standout "One Man Woman," the album plays it safe — there's nothing here that you haven't heard before from a contemporary R&B perspective. Still Smoove Jones is consistent, and highly likely to at least be added to Quiet Storm playlists in 2016.
(Planet 9)At 12 tracks, the independent release is solidly produced, and tracks like "Welcome to My World," "Team You" and "Elevator" recall late-'90s/early '00s R&B, but numbers like "Hold On" and "Phya" feel regressive and carry little weight. On Smoove Jones, Mya seems content to stay in her zone, and outside of the standout "One Man Woman," the album plays it safe — there's nothing here that you haven't heard before from a contemporary R&B perspective. Still Smoove Jones is consistent, and highly likely to at least be added to Quiet Storm playlists in 2016.