JOE SPREADS HOLIDAY CHEER IN SONG: R&B singer releases first ever Christmas CD. (Music/Video)

     Though "Home is the Essence of Christmas," has familiar Christmas classics, it is for the grown and sexy. With a big band sound, and Christmas classics like “I’ll be home for Christmas,” “Christmas Time is Here,” and “The Christmas Song,” Joe cruises listeners down memory lane in style.

     Joe told EUR the CD has a Frank Sinatra/Nat King Cole flair.

     “It’s very classic: live music, piano, upright, bass, drums with brushes. It’s jazzy, big band,” Joe said.

     Listeners can expect to hear several guest solo musicians on the saxophone and horn. One of Joe’s favorite songs is what he calls “The Charlie Brown song” which he did with “Lil’ Amanda.”

     The Christmas CD is Joe’s first, and he says it “makes sense. Now that I’m doing my own thing and don’t have to take advice, it’s getting back to how it used to be. Being independent, it gives me a lot of freedom, maybe three or four years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do a Christmas album.”

     "Home is the Essence of Christmas" was initially released exclusively with iTunes, and is selling through Target stores. "Home is the Essence of Christmas" also available online. The decision to release online and to drive sales online also makes sense to Joe who said, “It’s where the industry is going. It’s the next stage of selling records.”

     In addition to Christmas appearances in Europe and New York, Joe’s future stops include Asia, South America, Brazil, Africa, and a big charity in Jamaica with Shaggy in January. The charity shows, including the ones he has done in Africa for the past 15 years are meaningful parts of work and travel.

     “I guess sometimes one could take it a little lightly—17 or 18 years of doing things at a certain level--but I definitely count my blessings, and don’t lose sight of those moments,” Joe said of his career and extensive foreign travels.

     Joe is focused on the music for now, though a play and other projects may be in the works. He is pleased with the path his career has taken and calls it all “a great experience.”

     Check out Joe performing 'The Christmas Song' from 'Home Is The Essence of Christmas':