There are times when a certain cd defies typical tastes. Jaheim’s debut cd Ghetto Love is one of those for me. Even if you don’t like Jaheim – you can’t deny he has one of “those voices”, reminiscent of a young Teddy Pendergrass and a little bit of Will Downing, Jaheim should be big. I think the biggest flaw with this cd and with Jaheim himself is marketing. Pushed as some “R&B Thug” type deal, Jaheim would have been better served as a balladeer, not trying to keep the “street” edge. There’s a lot to love on this cd, but even more to dislike. I hate the way the cd begins with Jaheim being released from jail (which was also done by Chico Debarge), I just think it dips into stereotypes and yadda, yadda, yadda. There’s also no shortage of interludes, 4 in fact, that should have either become songs, or been left off. There are also songs on this album that just border on comical, and this one isn’t really too strong on the lyrics front. Let’s take a look.

One excellent factor about this album is the music/production. It’s produced so well that if you were just listening to listen and not for lyrics – you wouldn’t even know that most of the stuff he’s singing about pretty much sucks. One example is Let It Go which is a song about beating up a guy who’s been trying to get with your woman. There’s also Lil’ N!gga Aint Mine. Go ahead, I’ll let it soak in. Yeah, that’s the actual title. Not floored yet? Here are some lyrics: ”Nope, lil N!gga aint mine. What? You think a muthafu cka blind? He look just like Ginuwine. I know he been tapping that spine….” and it gets worse. Even though this song just really digs into stereotypes, I can’t help but giggle at it. One con that runs pretty much throughout the whole album is the evil N-word. When listening to hip-hop I’m more likely to not note the use, but within R&B music and especially with this album, which runs on the slow to mid-tempo side, it stands out like a pink elephant.

If you are able to get past those two REALLY bad songs, there are some real gems confined in the album. Looking For Love is sweet, mellow and flirty. It reminds me of old school Jodeci, definitely good. Happiness is another track that Jaheim shines on. The beat suits him- I’m not really going to get into the lyrics because the message is twisted. Okay, you want to know? He’s singing essentially seeing a mistress who happens to be his “favorite” of all his women. So just skip the lyrics and think how nice the vocals sound.


Just In Case was one of Jaheim’s major hits last summer. It even feels like summertime, easy to listen to and enjoy. If there were 10 more songs like this one on this album, it would have been excellent. And for once, the lyrics hit. ”Think of how we made love almost anywhere/ Haven’t I taken you almost everywhere?/Think of all the things that, that we shared/ And imagine me not there…” This is what an R&B love song is about, not the misguided stuff that litters this cd. About appreciating moments as if they were going to be your last with your lover – that’s something about which I can smile. Heaven In My Eyes should have been the lead single. It showcases the strength of Jaheim’s vocals and his presence on this track is strong also. The beat is kind of heavy, but doesn’t outshine the singing. This song has a little bit of sexiness to it as well as romance, it’s what Jaheim should be singing.

Anything featuring Next is not a bad song at all. I don’t like Next, but together with Jaheim, they sound pretty good. This was another single released last summer, and I think it was a good choice. Both Jaheim and RL (the lead singer from Next), have strong and distinctive voices, but they meld together surprisingly well. Waitin’ On You featuring Miss Jones and Remarkable featuring Terry Dexter are duets gone wrong. There’s simply isn’t too much good to say about them. I like Jaheim on both of the tracks, but the female singers ruin the fluidity of the song and it throws me off a little.

Ready, Willing and Able reminds me of an old love song by Lenny Williams called I Love You. To me, it has a classic and timeless quality about it and the essence of soul is evoked very hard on this one. Also the Will Downing comparison is very strong here. Love Is Still Here is an interlude that should have been a song, too bad. Forever finds Jaheim sounding like Luther Vandross’ ghetto stepson. For the tone of the album, I think this song doesn’t fit, but it is quite beautiful and a good song.

The main problem with this cd, behind the marketing and lyrics is that it’s just too damn long. 21 tracks too long. If I were in charge, I would have pared this album down to about 12 songs, maybe less and showed what Jaheim is really made of. Hopefully with success and time, he too will learn that image is everything.

AUTHOR’S NOTE – I’m not recommending this CD for a few reasons. I think in 5 years if Jaheim is still around, his image will totally turn around and he’ll be ashamed of some of these songs. I do think for a debut CD, there are some good songs, but not what I would expect from someone who has a voice of this caliber.


Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Du & Jah
3. Looking For Love
4. Interlude – Answering Machine
5. Let It GO f/ Castro
6. Could It Be
7. Ghetto Love
8. Happiness
9. Interlude – Jah’s Seed
10. Lil’ N!gga Aint Mine
11. Finders Keepers f/ Lil’ Mo
12. Just In Case
13. Heaven In My Eyes
14. Anything f/ Next
15. Waiting On You f/ Miss Jones
16. Remarkable f/ Terry Dexter
17. Ready, Willing & Able
18. Love Is Still Here
19. Forever
20. For Moms
21. Could It Be (Anything You Want Remix)





Recommended: No

Great Music to Play While: Cleaning the House