The Dreamer is the first studio album by American jazz vocalist José James.

A 10th Anniversary Edition was released in 2018, remastered and with 4 additional tracks.

John Fordham of The Guardian gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "James sometimes suggests a 21st-century Leon Thomas (the 1970s singer who became an acid-jazz star), but he also exhibits a highly personal mix of Bobby McFerrin's tonal delicacy and the R&B and soul feel of D'Angelo - with the latter association sometimes reinforced by the way the vocal overdubs and harmonies work.

"[5] Thomas Barlow of BBC said, "Stripped down and captivatingly raw, this is bonafide jazz all the way.

"[3] Adam Greenberg of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "He sings contemporary jazz with a strong sense of respect for the classics, but quietly puts hip-hop instrumentation behind his vocals, and multi-tracks himself for accentuation.