Toronto's Miles Jones has released a new LP called The Jones Act Part III, which you can stream here until Nov. 27.
ListenThe Jones Act: Part III by Miles Jones
Streaming until Nov. 27
Tracklist
The buzz around Miles Jones’s latest album is that it sounds nothing like his previous musical output. And to hear the rapper/producer/songwriter say it, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s a bit of a different message, as opposed to your boom-bap hip-hop sound,” says the 29-year-old of his latest effort. “I think the feedback I got for this record is that it sounds nothing like my last record.”
Indeed, The Jones Act Part III represents a sound somewhat different from his 2009 sophomore effort Runaway Jones. More to the point, it marks an evolution of sorts, an obsession with music coupled with fearlessness in pushing the proverbial envelope when it comes to his hip-hop sound.
“It still sounds like me though," Jones assures. "It’s still me breathing through each song. There’s still that warm quality and familiarity in my delivery and my voice. But musically, it sounds a lot different and definitely a little more electronic, a little more pop, a little more experimental. It still has those bangers hip-hop wise."
With a musical background that includes collaborations with names like Black Milk, Boi-1da and Shad, Jones has been doing his thing for more than a minute. In 2004, he formed Mojo Records and Publishing as a way to build a platform for fellow producers, DJs and artists. Today, wearing the hats of producer, rapper and songwriter are ways to ensure that Jones's creative output is expressed in the best way possible. “It’s a balance. If I was going to do one of them 100 per cent of the time, I wouldn’t like it,” he says.
And after whetting appetites with a five-track EP, Act So Strange, The Jones Act Part III delivers a hip-hop sound that sees Jones in full chill vibe, a laid-back stance that leverages electronic and melodic R&B sounds throughout. It’s a project where harder joints like “Scorpio” (featuring D-Sisive and Ghettosocks) coexist with the soulful sound of “Somebody.”
“I wrote this song called ‘All Lies,’” Jones says. “That’s what kickstarted the idea for The Jones Act. That’s when I knew the type of sound and direction that I was heading in. It’s not necessarily your textbook and traditional boom-bap hip-hop. For me, the type of sounds I like are the more progressive type of sound — something super-progressive and brings a different hip-hop sound."
“Obviously I want to sell a lot of units but I’m not going to use that as a unit of success,” he says of his expectations for the latest project. “I put the music out there and people can take it in how they want. There’s definitely an evolution as far as production and sound quality — this is the record that sounds the biggest and the baddest. I want to keep pushing the envelope and I feel that The Jones Act Part III shows that this is my sound moving forward. ”
See Miles Jones live at Revival in Toronto on Nov. 21.
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