Posted on 09/18/2009
K’Jon has endured several challenges along his road to recognition, and he tells all on his major label debut, I Get Around, a brutally honest musical biography in which the Detroit native rises above haters like a superhero, compares the emotions of love to summer rainfall, and proclaims that he wants to live forever. The smooth and sultry production makes this record perfect for a romantic evening or down time on a Sunday afternoon, but it lacks the overall charisma to stay in the rotation for a long period of time.

Although I Get Around is K’Jon’s first “official” album, he has independently released albums and songs, beginning in 2001 when the track, “My Shorty,” hit Detroit’s radio airwaves. Three years later, his song, “Miami,” was included on the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack. K’Jon’s passion for life and music is clearly evident on I Get Around, as he sings with an intensity that can only be pulled from the soul. His production, accompanied by an occasional violin and electric guitar, sets the perfect backdrop for his innermost thoughts.

After a brief introduction, I Get Around begins with the jazzy title track, where K’Jon thanks the masses for embracing his music and praises God for being able to use his art to provide for his children. He also tries to comprehend his recent success. “Life is funny,” K’Jon says on “I Get Around.” “I mean, one minute, no one knows me. Then the next, my music is taking me around the world.” The album’s third song, “Fly Away,” is both forthcoming and creative, as K’Jon plays superhero and literally soars above his haters. As he puts it, “I won’t let you all get the best of me, I’mma spread my wings, watch me fly away, I will rise above all these haters like a Superman because I can.”

The centerpiece of I Get Around has to be “On The Ocean,” the album’s first single, in which K’Jon compares his struggles in the music industry to being stranded at sea and his major label opportunity is a ship that’s “finally come.” On “Summer Rain,” the album’s tone darkens a bit as K’Jon struggles to understand the pains associated with love. But as quickly as the mood darkens, K’Jon uplifts the listeners with the grown and sexy “After The Club,” and the brash and confident “I Know U See It.” By album’s end, listeners are given one more morsel of honesty. “If I had to choose one day to die, it would be never, cause I want to live forever,” K’Jon says on “Vanity.”

Unfortunately for K’Jon, I Get Around does not have enough standout qualities to distance itself from the rest of the pack. The songwriting and production are commendable, and K’Jon’s spirited delivery is admirable, but the album could too easily be lumped with those from other soul crooners. A more distinctive sound could further help K’Jon get around.

-Marcus Moore