A Heartfelt Debut from Jojo Martin| Posted July 23, 2022 What You Need to Know
Gospel artist Jojo Martin has lived a life full of triumphs, hard work, and travel, while also living through his fair share of tragedies and struggles. He lost his mother more than ten years ago. He also struggled with kidney disease that could've cost his life. Thankfully, God gave Jojo a new kidney from a live donor, thus allowing Jojo to continue his musical journey.
Jojo's struggles and experiences served as a major inspiration for his debut release, Temporary Tears. His mentor, artist PJ Morton, serves as the album's producer. Songwriters for the release include Jojo, PJ, and artist Eric Dawkins.
What It Sounds Like
This ten-song album showcases Jojo's baritone/tenor vocals while being musically urban and adult contemporary. It's something you would expect from a PJ Morton-produced gospel album, especially for Jojo, who has a very similar vocal range as PJ. "Run-On" sounds like a private conversation that Jojo lets us listen in on.
When life's circumstances hit you, temporary amnesia can set in, making one forget of the many obstacles he or she has overcome. Jojo reminds "Right now you're at a point where you feel like giving up/Nothing going your way/And you feel like it's too much/.....A reflection of your past will show just how far you've come/Though your question is/Why or when?/This is now and that was then/You can't stop now/Almost at the finish line/Look ahead, you're almost done."
"Worth the Wait" is a mid-tempo soul pop anthem with strings melded throughout. It is a testament to his faith to hear Jojo sing that although he went through such a tough illness, the other side of that was worth the wait.
Spiritual Highlights
"Jesus please mention my name when You talk to the Father today/I got some bad news today/Be nice if you could carry this weight/See I got some bad news today." These are words to the song "Intercession," an original song penned by Kirk Franklin on his album, Losing My Religion. While on tour, Kirk called Jojo from the audience to sing the verse of this song. Jojo sang through the tears and agony of his kidney disease. So, it's obvious that the song would become a very personal one and one that he would remake as just an interlude. "He intercedes for me/Protects from things unseen/Right between God and me/You intercede for me."
Best Song
"Never Alone" is my favorite song on the album. One may read this and ask how I could choose it over the melodic "I Choose You" or the love song to God, "Me and You." Not an easy choice. However, there's just something about the musicality of "Never Alone." The call and response by Jojo and his background vocalists along with the musicians playing the horns and up-tempo drum pattern is something special. The sound is ragtime jazz meets good ole' shouting music minus the chromatic basslines and organ riffs.
Temporary Tears is a well-balanced debut album. Well-written and produced. With PJ Morton at the helm and Jojo writing about his life's story, you cannot go wrong. Sometimes, it sounds like a PJ record, so it will be interesting to hear Jojo's next album to see how he has evolved musically.
to add lyrics if not listed.
