Jaheim may have traded his braids for a close-cropped look, but one thing thankfully remains the same: his warm, sensuous vocals you want to wrap yourself in like a blanket. That soulful voice is in fine form on his new outing, “Another Round,” on which Jaheim leans toward a midtempo direction as he soothingly discourses on love won, enjoyed and lost. Striking a well-balanced stance between contemporary and retro is the feel-good opener “Ain’t Leaving Without You,” featuring a sample from the Whatnauts‘ 1982 single “Help Is on the Way.” Jaheim keeps a similarly fresh groove going on the clever “Bed Is Listening” and “Her.” But he still knows his way around a ballad, calling to mind the late Teddy Pendergrass on the gospel-flavored “Finding My Way Back.” Not every track on “Another Round” may be a winner, but Jaheim remains a welcome oasis in a desert of Auto-Tuned voices-and a beacon for the next generation of soul.-Gail Mitchell
