Review: Jaheim - 'Ghetto Classics'

Ghetto Classics, Jaheim's third CD, is not only the best release of his career so far, its also one of the best R&B/Soul releases of the year. Despite still being in his 20s, Jaheim manages to bring an old-school feel to his material without sounding old fashioned. The only thing that could even remotely be considered a negative about Ghetto Classics is the fact that the album clocks in at around 43 minutes, which is a little short by today's standards.

Listening to Jaheim sing is like being bathed in warm sunshine. He has such a warm, richly emotive voice, he could probably recite names from the phone book and turn it into a hit song. And the New Jersey-born and bred singer packs plenty of emotion and drama into every song he appears on. Although only in his late-20s, he’s often been compared to Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross, and for good reason - both his singing and songwriting are comparable to those legendary artists.

And even if you've never heard his two previous albums, his talent is more than evident on his latest Warner Bros. release, Ghetto Classics. Like his previous two albums, Ghetto Love and Still Ghetto, most songs revolve around love and relationships, but with an inner-city sensibility, such as “Daddy Thing,” about being a surrogate father to another man’s child and “Forgetful,” about an ungrateful, gold-digging love interest.

And his songwriting acumen is signified by the clever metaphors in the dance song “Like A DJ,” in which he compares being played by the woman in his life to a club DJ playing songs.

Unlike many young R&B artists whose songs ring false because they’re obviously singing about types of interpersonal situations they’ve clearly never encountered in their young lives, it’s clear in listening to Jaheim’s richly textured voice that he’s lived through many of the situations that he sings about. And it’s that type of authenticity that makes Ghetto Classics so compelling.