Smooth as silk is one way to describe the voice of R&B specialist Brian McKnight, but the fifteen tracks on his album "Used to Be My Girl" all come from the exact same cut.
With titles like "Used to Be My Girl," "Find Myself in You" and "Shoulda Been Lovin' You," it's apparent that the album relies heavily on love songs, but McKnight's talent certainly doesn't stretch far enough to make all of them memorable.
However, some songs do add a little variation to the mix. "What's My Name" is a chilled song with piano accompaniment and a guitar line that makes it sound like a porno track. McKnight's voice skillfully wraps around this pelvic-pushing groove, but the lyrics are lackluster and predictable.
"Unhappy Without You" has more of an upbeat tempo, with stand-out lyrics like, "I don't wanna be all by myself/ But I can be unhappy without you."
McKnight's vocals are pushed to the forefront on the track and manage to express some emotional tone.
"A Little Too Late" sounds a lot like a ballad, but it moves past the others in terms of quality with the addition of melancholy strings and woodwind instruments.
The intro on "Shoulda Been Lovin' You" seems to pick up where "What's My Name" leaves off. The musical accompaniment is mediocre, but McKnight's vocals distract long enough for the gleaning of at least some enjoyment.
McKnight does redeem himself somewhat with "More and More," a piano ballad that is rich with depth and doesn't sound cheap like the rest of the tracks.
On "Ten," McKnight's vocal range is stretched and flexed. One of the achievements of the album is the ability to showcase this talent, but McKnight's aptitude as an artist is lost in the analogousness of the material, which is buried in aimless, romantic idealism.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
