Heaven (Jai album)
| Heaven | ||||
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Standard release album cover
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| Studio album by Jai (Jason Rowe) | ||||
| Released | 11 November 1997 (USA) | |||
| Recorded | Honey B Studios, London, UK | |||
| Genre | Sophisti-pop, rock, trip hop, soul | |||
| Length | 48:48 | |||
| Label | M&G (UK), RCA (USA) | |||
| Producer | Joel Bogen | |||
| Jai (Jason Rowe) chronology | ||||
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| European release album cover | ||||
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| Singles from Heaven | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| Los Angeles Times | (favorable) |
| New York Daily News | (favorable) |
| People | (favorable) |
| The Washington Post | (favorable) |
Heaven is the debut album of British neo soul singer Jason Rowe, performing under the name Jai. The album was released on 11 November 1997. While well-reviewed, it would be Rowe's only album for nearly ten years, with Rowe later releasing his second album, Lovelife, under his full name in February 2007.
The album includes covers of the Arthur Hamilton standard "Cry Me a River", as well as "Magnolia", an early song of J. J. Cale's. "I Believe", which was a moderate hit in the United States, was included in a special song collection compact disc sold around the same time by fashion retailer Banana Republic. A music video directed by Paul Boyd for "I Believe" aired successively on The Box,VH1, and MuchMusic from August 1997 through February 1998.
There are two versions of the album, the alternate having been released in Europe. The cover art is virtually the same for both; in the European release, Jai's face is positioned at the center and occupies the entire frame, and his name and the album's title appear in the lower-left corner with the title both reduced in size and superimposed over his name. More significantly, alternate takes of the songs "Heaven" and "Wishing the Rain Away" appear on these different versions.
The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album four out of five stars, describing it as "a stylish amalgam of jazzy sophisti-pop, Motown, swinging '60s rock, trip hop and contemporary soul. While the songwriting in Heaven is uneven, Jai's voice is consistently thrilling, soaring to new soulful heights. That voice – along with songs that show how powerful his updated blue-eyed soul can be, like "I Believe" and "Don't Give Me Away" — is what makes Heaven such a promising and successful debut."
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