That is Jaheim - young, toughened by the perils of ghetto living and with a voice reminiscent of the old Bluenotes maestro. To get an idea of what is going on here, try and imagine the type of record Teddy Pendergrass would make if he were 21 in Y2K, came from New Jersey and had spent too many of his teenage years in Correctional Facilities. Even if he doesn’t, he has at least shown that Stevie Wonder is not the only voice from the past worth copying if you want to give your music some real class. With a bit of luck Jaheim Hoagland might set a trend for full, rich vocal stylings, the sort that have been in such short supply since the tricksy, nasal mannerisms that emerged in the days of Swingbeat pushed soulful male vocals to the margins of the urban scene. There may be better albums released this year but there won’t be any better vocal performances. What we have here is the best male voice to come out of R&B since…well, since ever, actually. Jaheim is going to be big and for once you can believe the hype. This, for a first release, is unusual but Ghetto Love is no ordinary first effort. There was such a buzz around this album that the amount of bootlegs circulating caused release dates in the US and Europe to be changed.
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