***1/2 Levert

THE WHOLE SCENARIO

(Atlantic)

Gerald Levert doesn't have to borrow the transcendent tenor sound of R. Kelly's remade Isley Brothers sound or the doo-wop bump shifts that make Boyz II Men and Jodeci phat. He has his own tradition. Timelessly simple slow-goes like "Sorry Is," "Playground," and the definitive "Swing My Way" stick close to the slow tempos and intense baritone riff singing that he and brother Sean owe to the O'Jays' lead voice, Eddie Levert -- their dad. Swing my way is what they're about, which isn't to say their gently fervent groove hasn't room to let the harsh raps of Yo Yo and Queen Pen turn "Tru Dat" on its head, or to adopt a Gipsy Kings acoustic in "Like Water." Riff singing is a serious passion, but Levert sometimes let it go. When in the first verse of "The Whole Scenario" they say, "Should I stay, should I go," you can almost feel the grin crackling onto their lips.

-- Michael Freedberg