Donell jones

This is a textual analysis on the Donell Jones album - Where I wanna be

1. This is a textual analysis of Donell Jones’ 1999 R&B album “Where I wanna be”. This is one of my favourite albums and it stands out above other great albums that I own. The cover doesn’t necessarily stand out because of it’s colours, but because it has much more meaning behind it and I feel that more effort went in to making this design than other albums I enjoy such as 112’s “Pleasure and Pain”, so enjoy!

2. One of the first things I noticed when looking at the front cover on “Where I wanna be” is the use of lighting. What I am pointing out is what appears to be a cigarette which lights up a certain part of the cover, particularly across Donell Jones’ body. This could mean many things, one being that he is now in a brighter place. If you look at the full album cover, you will see that on the left there is darkness and as your eyes wander to the right you can see the artist much clearer, showing that he is now coming to where he wants to be, hence the album title.

3. This is a similar part of the cover, but in this case, rather than lighting being used it is clear to see that elements of mise -en-scene are used in order to get across a certain point. Here we see a hand giving a light to Donell Jones and I immediately thought that this signified that he created this album with the intention of giving assistance and aid to those who listen, similar to what the man we cannot see is doing. I feel that Donell Jones created “Where I wanna be” with the idea of benefitting his audience. On top of this, two tracks that are often overlooked on this great album, “It’s alright” and “He won’t hurt you”, perhaps show that he is trying to reassure his audience and therefore trying to help them.

4. In this shot the use of a particular camera angle is really obvious and it adds to the quality of the CD cover. This is a medium shot, and it allows those looking at the cover to see the full body as well as the dark light which I have previously discussed.