EJ Jones Debuts With EP ‘Luh Mo’ Love’
The Memphis singer-songwriter draws on Southern soul, R&B and jazz, with songs that explore different sides of love.
EJ Jones has made his debut with Luh Mo’ Love, a new EP via Quality Control. The Memphis-born singer-songwriter draws on classic Southern soul, R&B and jazz, bringing those influences into a contemporary setting across songs about the varied experiences of love.
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Jones, 23, takes a hands-on role in the project, contributing as a songwriter and instrumentalist and producing select tracks. The arrangements bring his voice and instrumentation together, moving from the yearning of “Luh Mo Love” and “Need It Bad” to the playful, ’80s-inspired groove of “Sexy Thang.” Jones describes the EP as a first opportunity to share his story.
The project’s accompanying trailer revisits the barbershop encounter that led to Jones’ signing. Quality Control Music co-founder Kevin “Coach K” Lee was getting a haircut when a viral cover of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” caught his attention. The cover helped set Jones on the path to the label, and Cooke’s influence also informs the EP’s soul foundation.
Jones said he wanted the songs to reflect love’s different turns. “This project is really the beginning of me sharing my story with the world,” he said. “I grew up listening to a lot of soul music, so that sound has always been a part of me. This project is about something we all need and experience- love. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it hurts, and sometimes it fades away. I wanted to capture all those different sides of love and show a more vulnerable side of myself, while still giving people songs they can have fun with. More than anything, I want people to feel something when they listen. Not just hear the music, but feel it deep down in their soul.”
Lee praised Jones’ voice and energy, saying, “His voice and energy hits deep and far beyond his years. I’m so excited for him to bring his old soul vocals into the culture of now.”
