It's doubtful that RB will ever have another era as creatively rich as the '60s or '70s. There's too much working against it -- at least in the United States. Between the rigid, extremely tight formats of urban radio and the fact that major labels are so quick to drop artists before they have a chance to develop, modern RB is bound to have an abundance of artists who go out of their way to be as generic as possible. That said, the situation is far from hopeless -- if it were, major talents like Alicia Keys, India.Arie, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Rahsaan Patterson wouldn't have broken through. Like those singers, Calvin Richardson has a neo-soul perspective that owes something to classic soul as well as urban contemporary and hip-hop. 2:35 PM, Richardson's second solo album, isn't in a class with Patterson or D'Angelo's best releases; actually, it's mildly uneven and inconsistent. However, the CD's best tracks demonstrate that Richardson is capable of excellence when he puts his mind to it. The romantic slow jams on 2:35 PM fall into two main categories: radio-oriented tunes that have a strong Jodeci/K-Ci JoJo influence (with some R. Kelly-ish moves here and there), and material that is more old-school in its approach. The album gets off to an impressive start with Keep on Pushin', which recalls classic soulsters like Sam Cooke and Bobby Womack -- and Richardson is equally convincing on Falling Out, I Wansumo, and More Than a Woman (not to be confused with the Bee Gees/Tavares hit of the late '70s). Unfortunately, 2:35 PM also has its share of material that is competent without being terribly memorable, but when Richardson does hit the mark, it is obvious that the RB world should continue to keep an eye on the North Carolina native. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

1		Keep On Pushin'
2		Falling Out
3		I've Got to Move
4		I'm Worthy
5		More Than a Woman
6		Not Like This [Remix]
7		She's Got the Love
8		You Got Me High
9		Put My Money On You
10		Your Love Is
11		I Wansumo
12		Cross My Heart

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow