It has been a long time coming, but good things do indeed come to those who wait. We’re talking, of course, about the debut release from Joshua Michael Robinson, an individual who has been casually dropping R&B-tinged gold under his moniker, JMR, for the past two years. A veritable triple-threat, JMR has consistently demonstrated his singing, songwriting, and production talents with each passing single, and his talents have been precisely honed to create his Ritual EP here. Leading off with “To Be Alone With You”, we are introduced to this release with soft, yet confident vocals that intensify as the progressive backing track eventually bubbles over into the last act there, preparing us perfectly for what is to come. Following the opening number are previously released singles “Closer” and “Shivers”, whose familiar, dulcet notes feel right at home with the tone of the EP. New songs “Found My Religion” and “Bad For Good”—ones we feel are the EP's highlights, showcase JMR’s mastery of song structure and pop composition, and they round out the body of work with a bang. After following an artist’s career for as long as we have and hearing them nail each solitary single released, it is always our hope that they can channel that talent into a coherent body of work when it comes time to release a debut EP. We are ecstatic to report that JMR has done just that with Ritual, as we believe it is an incredibly cohesive release full of the rich and decadent R&B styles you would expect from such an impressive artist as he. Ritual is available on iTunes now.
JMR