OK, don't be alarmed, but for his self-titled fourth album, Tevin Campbell has indeed enlisted Stevie J. (of the Bad Boy camp) and Wyclef Jean for their production talents. Luckily, you won't find Puff Daddy or Wyclef ad-libbing in the background. Nor will you find the pervasive and often overbearing influence hip-hop has had on many of today's R&B artists.
Showing he's learned quite a bit from being in the music biz since age 13, the former Prince protégé lets his voice float nicely over backdrops that are just a touch hipper than adult contemporary, but a notch tamer than current urban radio.
That might not sound like the most exciting recipe, but it's perfect for Campbell's subtle lyrics. Though the first single, "Another Way," is fairly uninspiring and several other tracks sound like they might be songs Boyz II Men rejected, listeners investigating the whole disc are in for a treat. "Never Again" and "Losing All Control" definitely have the potential to make people dance, while "The Only One For Me" and "Everything You Are" (a duet with former SWV lead singer Coko) are top-notch ballads.
Tevin Campbell might not bump loudly out of too many cars or blaze a hot path up the charts. That's okay. Campbell's aim is to sing you a few good, simple R&B songs, and he does just that.
-By Nick Tylwalk
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