Love And Consequences

On Love & Consequences, Gerald LeVert makes a few overtures to hip-hop, but he remains, in his heart, a sensitive loverman -- which is both a good and bad thing. LeVert is a powerful, soulful vocalist who can deliver love ballads as well as any of his contemporaries, but he doesn't always exhibit much musical imagination. "No Sense" may have cameos from rappers Layzie Bone and Ken Dawg, and "That's the Way I Feel About You" is a duet with Mary J. Blige, but they only illustrate that LeVert is from the old school and doesn't really have the desire to bring his music into the present. Which means, of course, that Love & Consequences isn't much different than any other LeVert album from the '90s -- it has a slight modern sheen, but it's a quiet storm album at its heart. It doesn't offer any surprises, but LeVert is a professional -- and that means there are enough solid songs here to make it enjoyable, but not quite enough to make the entire album memorable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine