Al
Jarreau - All I Got
Produced by Paul Brown and Steve Dubin
A fine follow up to the excellent
Tomorrow Today, Jarreau once again teams up with the fantastic producer
Paul Brown. Secrets Of Love is one of Jarreau's best ballads
and then there's the humorous duet Lost And Found with Joe Cocker. |
Whitney Houston - Just Whitney
Various Producers
Like Michael Jackson and Mariah
Carey, Whitney Houston's personal life has become a big sideshow that is
overshadowing her career. So lost in the noise is the release of a
surprisingly good album. My favorite track is the Isley Brother's
inspired One Of Those Days. Whitney's voice doesn't live up to
her best work when she was on top of her game (I'm
Your Baby Tonight and
The
Bodyguard), but she's still one of the best singers around. |
Glenn
Lewis - World Outside My Window
Andre Harris & Vidal Davis
Glenn Lewis has a great voice that's
been compared to Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. This promising Canadian offers
another Neo-Soul creation from the producers of
Jill
Scott's smashing debut with his own debut which includes the hit Don't
You Forget It. |
Craig
David - Slicker Than Your Average
Various Producers
Craig David's debut
Born
To Do It was a worldwide smash selling over 7 million copies. He
returns with a serious chip on his shoulder for all those who would deem him
a one album wonder. To his credit, he tries to spread out and show how
his music has evolved since. However, this album doesn't have as many
gems that keep you coming back but I do like What's Your Flava and
the duet with Sting on Rise And Fall (which borrows it's riffs from
Sting's Shape Of My Heart from
Ten
Summoner's Tales). |
Boyz
II Men - Full Circle
Various Producers
Boyz II Men say they've come full
circle but I think they may have gone a couple of steps back. While
Nathan
| Michael | Shawn | Wanya was a creative breakthrough, Full Circle
revisits old territory perhaps because of the aforementioned's disappointing
sales. For instance, there is the pleasant but somewhat tired Babyface-produced
The Color Of Love. However, the boyz still have great chops and
they do the best with the material they have to work with. |
Donell
Jones - Life Goes On
Various Producers
Donell Jones has one of the
best voices of the new crooners and You Know That I Love You is one
of my favorite tracks of 2002. However, a lot of the songs on this
album seem repetitive and in need of more inspired lyrics.
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