Pure, the ninth Warner Bros. album from Boney James, fits its title exactly: pure in vision, in spirit, and in the grooves.

More than any of his previous releases, Pure fully reveals James as an artist capable of challenging conventions, and creating music that is both innovative and inviting. Boney's always seductive sax rises to new heights on this album. You'll hear the silk and satin solos and deep blue keyboard textures, but previously unseen sides of James come to light in Pure.

The reason? There's more than one. First, Pure marks James' debut as his own producer. He challenges himself on Pure by taking the reins, not only producing the album, co-writing every song and playing a variety of instruments, but also by choosing innovative voices to realize his vision: Bilal, Dwele and newcomer Debi Nova.

Being in charge empowered him to follow his muse wherever it led -- something he could never do completely until now. As a result, you'll hear some surprises in these tunes, some of them reflecting the more freewheeling approach he takes in his concerts, others revealing his increasing mastery in the studio.

The North Sea Jazz Festival

But there's a deeper reason -- an event that led him to set higher goals in his personal and professional life: "In the summer of 2002, I had started writing the material and building a digital studio. I wanted to take control of how I made music, so that whenever inspiration took me I could just roll out of bed and get to work. Then on the day I had finished putting the studio all together, I got the news that my older brother had died."

His brother had been, in James' words, a "huge part of my life." As he began work on Pure, he channeled his emotions into the record. The creative process was very healing: "One of the positive things I learned through losing my brother is that you'd better grab for it while you can," he says. "It made me proactive about everything. I don't procrastinate anymore. And if I get an idea, I go for it."

"The great joy of Pure is that I made all the decisions about everything. I was always confident in making music, but I was curious too, and a lot of times in the past I couldn't address that. I used to like to work with other producers because I felt I had too many ideas, as if I was undisciplined. But on this record I allowed myself to explore even some of my crazier ideas. A lot of them turned out to reflect more of my true musical sensibility than anything else I'd ever done."

with Marcus Miller & David Sanborn

He points to "Thinkin' 'Bout Me": "When I wrote it with my friend Rex Rideout we thought of it as a straight-up R&B tune," James explains. "But then I started to imagine that it could sound like something that Sly & the Family Stone would do, so I broke it down, took the drum machines out, got a Hammond B-3 player and a horn section, and built it up from scratch as a live track."

As he has done on earlier albums, James invited

with David Sanborn

singers to make guest appearances. His choices this time were as likely to stem from inspiration as from premeditation. He wrote "Appreciate" with Jon B. as a male vocal, but when it evolved into a fiery Latin dance vibe in Boney's imagination, he knew it would be perfect for new Warner Bros. artist Debi Nova.

Boney's 2002 Grammy© nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album for Ride led to another fortunate twist of fate when, at a post-Grammy jam session at B. B. King's Blues Club, he found himself onstage with singer Bilal at the microphone: "I was jamming with all these amazing performers like India.Arie, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott. When Bilal got up

with Rev. Jesse Jackson

to sing, he just blew the audience away," James remembers, "I knew he would be perfect for 'Better With Time.'"

For "Break Of Dawn," his collaboration with Dwele, whom Entertainment Weekly has targeted as one of ten artists "on the brink," Boney took the initiative to fly to Dwele's home in Detroit. "As soon as I heard him on the radio I knew he would be great," Boney says. "In addition to being a huge talent, he's a wonderful cat."

with Lily @ Montreux

Whether working with outstanding singers or world-class musicians such as Joe Sample, whose solo on "Stone Groove" is an album highlight, James emerges as an impresario equipped to manage every element of the creative process, from concept to final mix.

Pure was mixed by Serban Ghenea, whose wizardry has enhanced smash albums for Justin Timberlake, N*E*R*D, Janet Jackson, Destiny's Child, Britney Spears and others.

Pure is a jewel -- a crystalline depiction of an artist in transition and in charge.

with Lily @ Montreux

From his earliest days delivering pizza to finance his dreams, through his apprenticeship on the road with artists such as Morris Day and the Isley Brothers, James' star has been steadily rising. Yet his remarkable success -- sold-out concerts, GOLD albums (Sweet Thing, Seduction, Body Language, and Ride), a Soul Train Award and a Grammy nomination -- was just a prelude to Pure and the promise of what lies ahead.

"There was a lot of growth involved in making this record," he sums up. "The experience has changed me a lot. And I couldn't be happier with the results. It's just ... pure."

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