In Brief

The laid-back feel of this young New Jersey native’s hip-hop soul hit “Could It Be” nicely downplays the urgency of its do-you-love-me-or-my-money? message. Well-trodden territory, to be sure, but the track is among the more subtle on Jaheim’s modern-R&B; debut. This coming-of-age concept album is filled with genre cliches, including guest stars, between-song vignettes and tunes ranging from come-ons to moony ballads to the inevitable appreciation of dearly departed “Moms.” His smooth voice and mid-tempo vibe are agreeable enough, but 66 minutes of the same grooves is too much.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.