Extremely well produced, superbly polished, undeniably rich, velvety, sensuous vocals, but – how shall I put this – perhaps a little unoriginal? Following on from the success of his jazzy, soulful debut The Dreamer Jose James has toured the world, collaborated with countless well-respected musicians, and returned sounding like … an ultra-smooth Craig David. Definitely an album for a romantic night in (hopefully with your spouse as it rarely strays far from the subject of making lurve), I wonder if the title Blackmagic refers to the artful ability of making almost every track sound like something you’ve heard before but can’t quite place …

Rating: 2 / 5