Eric Benét | Lost in Time

Eric Benét, Lost in Time

(Advance Review – Album to be released Nov. 30th, 2010)

Eric Benét is one of many R&B artists who deserve wider recognition
for their talents than they actually receive. Obviously, wider
recognition in the eyes of these artist are further expanded sales of
their respective albums, meaning that they have literally ‘reached out’
to more people than before. Benét’s former effort, Love & Life
wasn’t quite a commercial breakthrough (though it should have been), but
it did find the singer achieving a heightened profile, thanks to hit
single “You’re the Only One.” With the even stronger effort Lost In Time
led by valedictory single “Sometimes I Cry,” Benét strives his hardest
for his beautiful tenor vocals to be heard and recognized with
widespread appeal. While the music industry’s economy may be dismal,
Benét will undoubtedly garner critical acclaim from this, his most
soulful and genuine outing yet.

The excellent, heart wrenching
“Never Want To Live Without You” opens the album off right. The
production work is urban in quality and suits Benét’s incredible tenor
well. The songwriting is incredibly well penned, particularly the chorus
handled by background vocals: “So I never want to live without
you/Never gonna live without you/Never want to live without you/never
want to live, cause you’re the biggest part of my life…” The high
watermark of the track is the ascension into a higher key, where Benét’s
falsetto is spot-on. “Feel Good” featuring Faith Evans proves to
contrast the slower tempo of the opener with enthusiastic,
neo-disco/funk-driven production work. Evans complements Benét perfectly
with unquestionable vocal chemistry making ‘Lost in Time’ a 2-0 affair
with no misses as of yet!

“Sometimes I Cry” is not only the
best performance of this album, but one of the strongest, most genuine
performances by any artist in sometime. It may be old school in quality
with it’s classic sounding production, but it is so nice to hear a
genuine, heart-warming love song without all the gimmicks of modern
R&B. What can be said? Eric Benét sings his heart out here and makes
chills run over your body as you listen. What could follow-up such an
epic performance you ask? Well another solid cut via “Always A Reason.”
Sure “Always A Reason” doesn’t eclipse “Sometimes I Cry” (nothing does),
but it is as solid and enjoyable as all else on the album. The sound is
pleasant and “warm and fuzzy” finding Benét’s falsetto as ‘ripe’ as
ever.

“Paid” finds Benét collaborating with O’Jay’s star Eddie
Levert in another strong duet effort. Again, the tempo is heightened
much like the Faith Evans duet, finding Benét singing over neo-disco
like production once more. “Take It,” a six-minute plus juggernaut
featuring R&B standout Chrisette Michele is another ‘victory lap’
for Benét showcasing incredibly chemistry between the two vocalists.
Michele coos so elegantly (just like a lady) as she sings on the chorus
“come and take it if you want it…”

“Stir It Up” continues
play into a sensual vibe, finding Benét opening the cut with “don’t it
feel good when we switch it up sometimes…” Benét allows the cut to
build, finding his vocals growing more assertive by the second verse.
“Summer Love,” featuring background vocals by India Benét is a nice
change of pace with quicker tempo. It does not supersede any previous
performance, but it is another fine listen. “Lost In Time,” the title
cut, has much more steam and a shorter duration that most cuts, clocking
it at a brief 3:45. The only quibble one might make (or notice) is the
similarity of the chorus to “You’re The Only One.” That said, why not
cling onto the hit that helped heighten your name as a legitimate
R&B threat?

“Good Life” features R&B singer Ledisi,
though Ledisi is a lot tamer here than normal (at times she sounds like
Tina Turner on her exceptional Turn Me Loose disc). Despite being
somewhat restrained, vocally there is chemistry between the vocalists.
Closing cut “Something’s Wrong” finds Benét ‘ridin’ solo’ with another
nuanced, enjoyable performance. Of eleven tracks, there are no misses
whatsoever here.

Essentially, Eric Benét has brought his ‘A’
game on Lost In Time. There may be no such thing as the perfect album,
but Benét definitely ‘knocks it out of the park’ here. If nothing else,
he gets A+ for effort – or for pouring out his heart and soul on this
effort. Exceptional pipes and exceptional material makes this album MORE
than worthwhile.

Brent Faulkner
The Urban Music Scene