Vocalist Jose James, whose smoky voice and unique sensibility that expands jazz keep him at the forefront of the scene, returns to Billboard Live with a new album titled “1978,” the year of his birth. Last year, Jose—remembered for staging a premium Billboard Live performance of the tribute album On & On: Jose James Sings Badu, covering the signature songs of contemporary neo-soul star Erykah Badu—made a lasting impression. This new work grew out of the experience of creating a tribute to Bill Withers in 2018; it inspired him to write songs that would give people his own sense of joy, and over five years he completed this labor of love. True to its title, “1978,” a highly anticipated program re-creating late-70s soul music by Marvin Gaye, Prince, and Stevie Wonder through Jose’s modern interpretation will come to life on stage, fueling our hearts with anticipation for a mellow night.