Elliott Yamin - Fight For Love (2009)

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    Elliott Yamin
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    It's funny. I wanted Yamin to become more his own singer than he was on a debut that overly relied on his vocal influences from the 70s soul legends of yore. Now I have a sophomore disc that vocally is uniquely his own, only it's not on a particularly unique project. Yamin delivers polished pop with solid, if nondescript vocals on predictable songs that fail to move me a single inch. These diluted R&B songs are utterly forgettable calculus meant to make Yamin a middle of the road, but bankable pop act. A-list producers have nearly smoothed out any rasp or gravel in his tone, so that it's cleanly palatable to young and old alike, only its inoffensive soullessness should be unpalatable to anyone who actually liked this A.I. act before he ironically had a shot at commercial stardom. Can you go back to culturally appropriating and innocently offending, pretty please? Notable songs: "Cold Heart," "This Step Alone" and "You Say."

    Vocals: 2.5 stars  Lyrics: 2 stars   Music: 2.5 stars   Production: 2.5 stars   SoulTracks Call: Mildly Recommended

    By: L. Michael Gipson