Don’t expect singer/songwriter Jamie Hawkins to spend too much time breaking down the terminology between classic soul and new soul. It’s the keepers of the flame he’s concerned about. "I never liked categories. I just want to create good music. Bring musicianship to the table. Write good songs. I don’t play the expectations game. You have to remember when I first broke into the business a lot of people expected me to follow my parents’ style." He’s talking about artists Walter and Tramaine Hawkins, gospel legends in their own right. "I’ve always been more interested in R&B. Don’t get me wrong, I like gospel, and of course I sang in church, but I always gave it that little edge when I sang or played the drums."

That was back when he was five years old. The edge of accomplishment that Jamie brings to his sensual, self-titled debut disc (the first release from Violator manager Mona Scott’s Monami Entertainment) should keep critics praising him for a long time to come. Album gems like Lost My Mind, and Next To You, bounce and flow under Jamie’s sultry voice and steady production hand. No wonder. The Bay Area native (he now lives in New Jersey) has made a pretty good career for himself as a musical director for superstars like Lauryn Hill, working with the likes of Mary J. Blige and Destiny’s Child, among others.

In fact, it was the time spent guiding Lauryn Hill’s live show in 1998 that created the opportunity for him to write his debut album. "I took advantage of any off days on the tour and I’d lock myself in my hotel room and write. Most of my solo album was written on the road."

Jamie says the criss-crossed/star-crossed road to Monami/Elektra also went through superstar group Boyz II Men. "I was doing a showcase around 96-97 and they happened to be at the same hotel. They needed a keyboard player. Eventually I became their musical director. My publisher then recommended me to Lauryn Hill’s camp where I became her musical director for most of 1998. A friend from the Boyz days knew Mona Scott and she heard my tape. She snagged me off the Lauryn tour to start on my album."

Jamie unabashedly admits to using all those connections to give his fans the best show possible when he hits the road as a solo artist. "I’ve picked up a few band members and a lot of pointers along the way."

Jamie believes listening to his father’s old records formed his earliest instincts about what makes ‘good’ music. "He’d play Earth, Wind and Fire, Donnie Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson. It gave me a sense of what was authentic." And just like a musician, he rattles off his particular favorite diamonds — "I love anything from Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall, on back. Anything and everything that Quincy does." Jamie points out that the song Next To You was directly inspired by listening to some of Marvin Gaye’s records. "I also had the advantage of having a lot of great musicians around growing up. My dad would always use the best. I remember I’d sit and listen to them as they talked and argued about how something should be played. They’d argue this chord over that chord, this timing versus that timing. That’s the best schooling you could ever have."

He brought in a few seasoned ears to help him gauge his own work on the new disc. Gordon "Commissioner" Williams mixed the album, and Richard Smith and Noel "Chris" Absolam (Mona Scott’s partner in Monami) served as associate producers on the project. "They were brought in for some additional flavoring. They are at the top of their game." Evidence of their collaboration can be heard on the pumped-up timbre of More And More.

Get him back on the subject of real soul, and he just smiles. "Your soul is the essence of who you are. My music comes from within me. It’s the essence of who I am. In a way, I guess this is Jamie’s soul’s music."