The Makings of a Man [PA] (CD - 2007)

Personnel: Duganz (vocals); Daniel Farris, Ivan "Orthodox" Barias (various instruments); The Newton Twins (guitar, bass guitar); Gregg Landfair (guitars); Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Neffu (keyboards, drum programming); Addaryll "Tiger" Wilson, Rodney East (keyboards); Lamar Hannah, Ian Mereness, Phil Hamilton (programming); Cliff Lighty (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Keyshia Cole.

Neo-soulster Jaheim dropped his fourth full-length, THE MAKINGS OF A MAN, in 2007. Cut from much the same cloth as Jaheim's previous releases, MAKINGS merges a love of 1970s and '80s soul with a slick, urban-contemporary edge. The artist seems even more assured this time out, especially on the R. Kelly collaboration "Hush," the smooth-as-butter "Have You Ever," and the stirringly passionate "Never." But while the material and production are top-notch, it's Jaheim's voice, which recalls iconic crooners like Luther Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass, that makes MAKINGS shine.

Jaheim switches from Warner Bros. to Atlantic after 2006's number one Ghetto Classics, and it's business as usual for the singer. He continues to surround himself with a complementary roster of fellow songwriters and producers, including associates old (KayGee, Wesley Hogges, Darren Lighty, Eric Williams, Balewa Muhammad) and new (R. Kelly, Babyface, Ivan Barias, Carvin Haggins). Like an overwhelming percentage of Jaheim's first three albums, there's nothing flashy about The Makings of a Man. It's built-to-last R&B with a foot in the past and another in the present, his tough-yet-smooth Teddy Pendergrass-meets-Luther Vandross voice in full effect. Particularly bright spots include "Hush" (the R. Kelly collaboration, where Jaheim feels conflicted over sleeping with his best friend's woman), the Force M.D.'s-sampling "Have You Ever" (a frank check-yourself number, despite its wistfulness), and pretty much every other track that incorporates a soul classic, whether it's Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now" ("Lonely") or Atlantic Starr's "Let's Get Closer" ("I've Changed," featuring Keyshia Cole). ~ Andy Kellman minimize