All the promise of his debut comes true on
Aloe Blacc's sophomore release,
Good Things, a vintage sound meets modern problems release with a way too modest title. Right from the opening
"I Need a Dollar" -- which could be passed off as unreleased
Bill Withers, no problem -- the album offers grand things, providing listeners with that solid, but not polarizing, style of social commentary
Withers perfected. On the following cut, positivity is pushed ("Something special happened today/I got green lights all the way") in a manner that's far from sugary, but this singer who offers such warmth and humility on his smooth
soul tracks is well aware of sin, and can get slinky in a
Al Green style when warning against loose women on
"Hey Brother." An even better example of this is his cover of the
Velvet Underground's
"Femme Fatale," which becomes much more than a clever choice, thanks to a convincing performance that suggests he's been there. The organic production, real horns and all, is left up entirely to the
Truth & Soul Productions crew (
Jeff Dynamite and
Leon Michels) but
Blacc's delivery is less traditional with phrasing and some slang left over from when he was a 24-7 rapper. Anyone with a taste for
neo-soul should try
Good Things unique flavor. It comes on familiar and comfortable and becomes more rich and rewarding with every return visit. ~ David Jeffries
![Midnights [Jade Green Edition] [Edited]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602448247032_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Midnights [Jade Green Edition] [Edited]")
![1989 [Taylor's Version]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602455976567_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "1989 [Taylor's Version]")
