Charlie Wilson is one of the very few artists of his generation who’s still relevant in the business today, even for the new generation of rnb fans. The only other I can think of is Ron Isley, and with him locked up in jail there’s no doubt of who’s the current king of modern “grown-man-soul”.

“Uncle Charlie” didn’t release his new album Supa Sexy in 2008, but he did show us that he still got what it takes. Except from doing a great job with the hook on Snoop’s ‘Can’t Say Goodbye’, he did at least three songs of his own that all have been going on heavy rotation in our iPods throughout the year. When it came down to picking just one, we went for ‘Jump In’. Not only is it one of the greatest ballads of the year, it’s also sung by one of the scenes greatest voices. It’s both impressive and a bit touching to hear Charlie, today 55 years old, singing about being scared of commitment with such emotion.

Credit should also be given to The Underdogs, who reportedly produced the song. Their type of production fit Charlie’s strong, soulful voice perfectly and hopefully there’ll be of their tracks on Supa Sexy, whenever it hit the stores. Do we dare to hope for an early 2009 release?

Charlie Wilson - Jump In (written by J. Fauntleroy, prod. by The Underdogs)

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