Ever since he first graced the AB stage back in 2008, we knew one thing for certain: José James is a great artist. And now, even sooner than expected, we have been proven right: legendary jazz label Blue Note were as taken with his extraordinary voice as we were. At the start of next year José James will be releasing his Blue Note 'debut 'No Beginning No End', which includes collaborations with Hindi Zahra, among others. AB was lucky enough to have a preview and heads were nodding in approval: this is José James at his very best.

And we are not alone in our opinion. Aretha Franklin asked him to perform for her 70th birthday, and he has been invited to perform on television by the likes of David Letterman. His AB projects on Billie Holiday (2012) and John Coltrane (2009) were showered with four-star reviews, and kindred spirit pianist Jef Neve has praised José James' talent.

No Beginning No End could, with Blue Note's backing, very well be José James' big breakthrough to a larger audience. We would bet on it.