Search - Jaheim :: Another Round

Jaheim - Another Round

------------- | The World | 02/09/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I have always been a big fan of Jaheim. He is one of a kind in the R&B genre these days. He has one of most soulful voices of anyone i have heard since Marvin Gaye. Anytime Jah's on a track, you know it's him the instant he starts singing because of his powerful-soul vocals. And he has always maintained the "R&B-Thug" image very strongly on all of his albums, especially his first two albums. But with Ghetto Classics and The Makings of A Man he started to incorporate more "contemporary R&B" into his albums, as both sported big name producers such as Scott Storch, R. Kelly, Babyface, Neff-U, Big Reese, and Ransom & Orthodox. But with Another Round, he adds even more of the contemporary touch in terms of production with more big names like Ransom & Orthodox again, Kaygee like always, J.R. Rotem (Sean Kingston's "Fire Burnin" and Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say"), Chuck Harmony (Does a lot of work with Ne-Yo), and Eric Hudson (Lloyd's "Year Of The Lover" and Omarion's "Entourage"). So as you can see, he brought in a lot of big names to helm the production this time around, which sets the tone for Another Round to be Jaheims most "Radio Friendly" album yet, but that's not saying much. The album starts off with the very catchy and funky first single "Ain't Leavin' Without You", which is produced courtesy of Kaygee. It's signature Jaheim, and what you would expect from him by now. But then he follows it up with a monster of a baby maker in the Orthodox and Ransum produced "Finding My Way Back", which is potentially the second official single. Than on the Battleroy produced "Til' It Happen's to You" and "Bed Is Listening", produced by Chuck Harmony, both tracks are typical Jaheim sexcapades, but are both still noteworthy. But then on the JR Rotem produced ballad "Impossible" and the poor man's version of Jamie Foxx's "Blame It", The Clutch produced "Another Round" is very gimmicky and just flat out lame especially for a Jaheim album. But it's alright because after those two tracks, the album picks back up again with the smooth and relaxed "II Pink Lines" which is a beautiful mid tempo track about having a child. "Otha Half" is kind of another boring ballad. But then on the soaking wet baby maker produced by E-Hud, "Closer" is one of Jah's best baby makers ever. But what Another Round lacks as album, is it has no consistency. While tracks like "Finding My Way Back", "Closer", and "Bed Is Listening" show that Jaheim is still growing and he still can give us quality R&B/Soul music, but pretty much the rest of the album is forgettable and uninspired, especially by Jaheims usually sky high standards. Another Round isnt bad by any means, is decent, but its definetly a step backwards from what Jaheim fan's are used to. He is normally also one of the most reliable R&B singers in the game today, but Another Round is the first time I have actually been disappointed with a Jaheim album...It's not terrible, but it could have been a lot better.













Grade:

C"

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands...

V. Smith | Albany, NY | 02/09/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Whew! Jaheim has the pipes that make him the "heir apparent" to Luther's throne! I first heard "In My Hands" yesterday, played it about 10-12 times and the melody played in my head all night long. I'm listening to it again as I write this review. The rest of the CD is equally as enjoyable--mature lyrics, great beats and melodies. Highlights: "Her", "Finding My Way Back" and "Impossible". Keep up the great work, Jaheim. As mentioned appreciate that there are no explicit lyrics."