Singer, songwriter and lifelong fan José James honors the great Bill Withers with the release of Lean On Me, a loving tribute album that features 12 of the legendary singer and songwriter’s most undeniable and soulful songs in honor of his 80th birthday year. Lean On Me was produced by Blue Note president Don Was and recorded in Capitol's legendary Studio B with a dream team band: Pino Palladino (bass), Kris Bowers (keys), Brad Allen Williams (guitar), and Nate Smith (drums), along with special guests including vocalist Lalah Hathaway, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and trumpeter Takuya Kuroda.

James is often celebrated for his genre-blending— his prolific output over the past decade has crisscrossed jazz, R&B, soul, hip-hop and indie rock—but this project is different. “Bill wrote the songs you love your whole life,” he says. “I didn't want to put hip-hop beats under his music or deconstruct it with 10-minute bebop solos. There was only one right move here: show up with a killer band, run the tape, capture the vibe. We just played the songs.”

Ain't No Sunshine
Grandma's Hands
Lovely Day [feat. Lalah Hathaway]
Lean On Me
Kissing My Love
Use Me
Who Is He
Hello Like Before
Just The Two of Us
Hope She'll Be Happier
The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
Better Off Dead