Eclectic Soul

The marks of ‘90s soul standout Seal and retro stylist Lenny Kravitz are all over the full-length debut from Brooklyn-based vocalist Reese. Eclectic Soul lives up to its name in its smattering of rock, R&B and ballad efforts: the 12 cuts are musically diverse and thoughtful, limited only by lyrics that tend toward the path of least resistance. Reese's delivery is more rock than soul, with unwavering intensity that especially shines on his lugubrious, bluesy cover of "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." The instrumental acuity and preoccupation with unconditional love and undogmatic spirituality hark back to Seal's 1994 self-titled album and Kravitz's Are You Gonna Go My Way. Consequently, the album can be seen as hopelessly derivative, but then, faithfully so; and either way, it is worth noting that the same was said of Lenny Kravitz when he first hit the scene.