Cynthia Jones – Journey of Soul

Cynthia Jones

“Are you ready for Miss Cynthia Jones?”

So asks GRAMMY- and Stellar Award-nominated neo-soul gospel singer Cynthia Jones on the introductory track of her new project, Journey of Soul. Spelling her name rhythmically in Fergie style, Jones sets the chill-or-dance mood “on the journey of soul” in the album’s opening moments.

Journey of Soul maintains the smooth jazz vibe that Jones established on her 2008 Kingdom Records CD, Gotta Soul. The North Carolina-based singer sounds like she was raised in New York or L.A., her music nurtured by smart vocalists such as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Lisa McClendon and Lauryn Hill. Jones’ snappy repartee on “Unconditional” suggests she even picked up a couple of vocal tips along the way from the late Michael Jackson.

The album lyrics are part praise, part honest conversations with God, and part life lessons imparted with an intimacy, as if it’s just you and Miss Jones, hanging out on a shaggy-carpeted living room.

But Jones wants listeners to do more than just sit and listen. She offers plenty of opportunities for partaking in praise dancing, including the finger-popping “Child of the King;” the Christian club-ready “Universal Praise,” where Jones asks for the “universal praise word” (it’s “Hallelujah”); and the aptly titled “Judah Jam,” where Jones sings, “I want to dance like David danced. I’m gonna cut a step tonight.” Even the apocryphal “Midnight” encourages listeners to heed the End of Days, but not without a little shape cutting.

Picks: “Unconditional,” “Universal Praise,” “Revival.”