Jp

There's no question that Jesse Powell's got one of the most magnificent sets of pipes on the male side of today's R&B game. With a four-octave range that delivers acrobatic leaps and bounds with unfettered ease--especially in his angelically crystalline upper range--Powell serves up a few spine-tingling moments on his third release. Especially when he stops employing R. Kelly-type methods (on lukewarm bump-and-grinders like "Go Upstairs" and "After We Make Love"), and just lets his vocals soar into the stratosphere, as on unabashedly gooey heart warmers like "It'll Take the World" and "If I." As expected, most of these sublime moments are blandly wrapped up into minor key ballads made to fit the format of Quiet Storm radio airwaves. But Powell's voice remains a wonder throughout, capable of rising above his material's schlocky melodies and hackneyed pillow talk. --Sylvia W. Chan