Joe - Ain't Nothing Like Me (CD)

All Music Guide

Can you think of many RB artists who first appeared during the new jack swing era and continued to release good, uptodate albums on a major label throughout the first decade of the 21st century? You probably cannot. If you can, Joe is likely near or at the top of that list. His sixth album which went through a number of titles and projected release dates until it landed in April 2007 as Ain't Nothin' Like Me is up to the standard of 1997's All That I Am and 2000's My Name Is Joe. Contemporary as ever, Joe seeks production and songwriting assistance from a number of ubiquitous heavyweights and upandcomers, including the perpetually ontherise Tim Bob (who first worked with Joe on 2000's "So Beautiful"), hot Norwegian team Stargate (NeYo's "So Sick," Beyonc�'s "Irreplaceable"), Sean Garrett, BryanMichael Cox, Johnta Austin, the Underdogs, and Cool Dre. A handful of tracks aren't all that necessary, but if you were to trim the sequence down to ten or so, you'd have a 40minute album tha...t is not too far from faultless. The Tim Bob, Stargate, and Sean Garrett productions complement each other well, especially within the album's opening foursong stretch. Beats dance and skip, supported by simple and roomy but effectively layered ornamentation music boxlike melodies, floating synthesizer accents that is never laid on too thick. They're ideal for a nuanced vocalist like Joe, who can affect desire, pain, and devotion with the slightest of adjustments. From there, the quality level fluctuates, and there are too many ballads, but "Let's Just Do It" (another spacious, midtempo glider) and "Just Relax" (where Joe and Cool Dre jack A Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation" and sidestep corniness) are two other standouts. While a very basic name, a lack of flashiness, and sizeable gaps of inactivity have only gotten in the way of his popularity, Joe has maintained relevant and reliable since he debuted. - Andy Kellman, All Music Guide Read more Less