"When veteran Miles Davis / Fishbone / Everlast sideman John ""JB"" Bigham steps out on his own, he does so with soul music that's much more than just ""retro-soul."" There should be nothing ""retro"" after all with playing instruments in real time with a genuinely elastic rhythm section that breathes with honest human spirit. Black John canvasses R&B, soul, funk, blues and country, taking its sweet time and expanding the groove wherever Bigham hears fit. Sure, its reference points and influences are of older vintage, but there's nothing wrong with emulating the classics. The title track kicks in like a vintage piece of '70s blaxploitation film music, its tight funk ushering in a groove that centers on a knife fight. ""Betty Jean"" turns on a sweet backing group vocal ensemble. ""White Dress"" presses forth with a minimalist funk that leaves plenty of anxious air. Echoes of classic soul from Sly Stone to Curtis Mayfield, James Brown to Isaac Hayes can be heard haunting these tracks. In this case, there are no better ghosts to evoke."