The Return (CD - 2006)

After a brief detour into the realm of gospel (2004's I NEED AN ANGEL), AMERICAN IDOL winner Ruben Studdard is back with more vintage-tinged loverman soul on 2006's THE RETURN. As on the singer's 2003 debut, SOULFUL, THE RETURN is littered with musical nods to Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye, and works mid- to downtempo grooves to sensual effect. Studdard's smooth, velvet voice glides easy as the breeze, making good on his moniker "the velvet teddy bear." There are a few uptempo dance cuts here, and the production is au courant enough to sound at home on urban contemporary radio, but Studdard's real forte is in slow bedroom jams, and THE RETURN delivers on that count. minimize