Jaheim, frontman of the “Thug R&B” genre, has taken another crack at maintaining the title with Another Round. Round is the first album from Jaheim since The Makings of a Man back in 2007. Upon listening his latest installment in its entirety, it’s apparent that he’s has grown artistically in the three years that he’s been out of the spotlight. This album is the next natural step for Jaheim who’s been building a fanbase since 2001 with Ghetto Love. His tenor voice is just as creamy and layered as it was nine years ago and now he’s acquired the matured image and lyrics to match.

The lead single, “Ain’t Leaving Without You” is an uptempo ditty dedicated to an attractive lady in the club who’s been playing hard to get all night. It’s light-hearted enough, with easy content and a weaved in soul sample, to get most grown folks tapping their feet. The second single, “Finding My Way,” is one of the best songs on the album. It’s a bit more complex than the mindless bounce of “Ain’t Leaving.”

Jaheim knows how to emote a bleeding heart through his silky vocals and he does it well on this track: “Gotta find my way back, to you, to us, to love…”

He falters a bit on the monotonous “Impossible,” which borrows an instrumental loop from Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.” The song seems to drone on as Jaheim sings, “It’s impossible for me to be without you, for me to breathe without you, ’cause I can see just who I’m supposed to be.”

He doesn’t stay down for long though, recovering on the saccharine “In My Hands,” where he declares his unconditional love for his woman above bass guitar riffs and steady hi-hat taps. “When I hold your hands, I’ve got the whole world in my hands, ever since the day you came across my path, that was the plan.”

Jaheim is a solid artist with a loyal fanbase, and a renewed sense of self. As he’s matured, it appears his fans have done the same, right along with him, as his album sales have always been gold or better. His growth has been an organic process moving on from the thuggish braggadocio of every hood’s “corner boy” to a man not confined by the limitations of making so-called “Thug R&B.” And he shines as he claims his position for yet another round.

– Nadine Graham

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Nadine Graham is a freelance writer based in Atlanta, GA. She’s a Hip Hop head who prefers sneakers but can truly appreciate a dope pair of heels, every now and then. She’s also known for expounding on her own random thoughts at www.twitter.com/MadFreshDaily.