Aijuswanaseing

One of last year's big finds on the soul scene was Philadelphia native Jill Scott who injected a well-needed bit of class and pure talent into the hip-hop world. Hot on her heels comes a male contender by the name of Musiq Soulchild, who shares both a hometown and a musical direction with Ms Scott.

This first album from the 23-year old is a pretty good effort. Both the arrangements and the vocals have invited comparisons with singers like D'Angelo and Stevie Wonder, although Musiq doesn't quite show the songwriting talent of the former or the raw passion of the latter.

There are some excellent things here, such as the slowbeat soul of 'Girl Next Door', or the smooth crooning on '143'. The vocals are great all the way through and a clever use of harmonies manages to strengthen some of the weaker tracks. Perhaps Aijuswanaseing is more good and clean than fun and interesting, but for lovers of a more ambitious take on formulaic r'n'b it should go down a treat.