Classic Blunders
Jaheim
Ghetto Classics
(Warner Bros.)
Similar as they are, a death pairing would be Jaheim and Faith Evans: neither really knows what the hell is going on, but there’s a fine greatest hits set in the future.
Ghetto Classics, despite its confident title, is another misdirected R&B album in the hip-hop era, more willing to date itself with commercialized jive than striving for timelessness. “Everything About Her,” “The Chosen One,” and “125th” nail the urban loverman vibe with marksmanship, but everywhere else Jaheim is erratic whether he’s stepping on his own toes (“Masterpiece”) or inadvertently lobbying for gay dancefloor immortality (“Like A DJ”). There’s a reason the words “K-Ci” and “JoJo” don’t pass many lips these days.
— Steve Forstneger
