Okay -
1. I am of the opinion that everybody can’t be a legend. Legend has to do with your story/come-up to power.
That said, Joe is probably the last of the true legacy R&B males.
2. Joe has one MASTERPIECE (All That I Am),
another classic (My Name Is Joe),
Better Days which may be his best album outside of All That I Am, but I don’t think enough people realize that so
I won’t call it a classic. (IMO - Classic is about reception/impact more than the quality/content)
3. It’s hard to place him because he spans generations. Remember, he came out in 1992.
But he does great as a collaborator. He seems to be in his bag as a producer and writer with and for other artists.
I loved his track on Tony Thompson’s album. I prefer his version of “Missing You” to Case’s.
Every song he made with Chico DeBarge is a classic that shoulda went triple. They shoulda did an album together.
4. What do we consider his peak?
We do know he crossed over. White people know Joe. They know “I Wanna Know” because that was a prom jam.
They know him being on the cut with Mariah & 98 Degrees. They know “Stutter”. They know “Still Not A Player”.
His commercial peak was probably 2000-2003: the My Name Is Joe era.
But from 2003-present, he was one of the last ones making traditional R&B during the era of li’l nasty niccas taking over.
He gets credit for that.
