Fortunate

Lathun, another signing by Kedar Massenburg (the new-millennium Motown impresario who backed Erykah Badu and Remy Shand, among others), debuted with a collection of smooth, downtempo love jams. Fortunate certainly isn't lacking in soul; Lathun's falsetto is rangy, strong, and devastatingly evocative. He's also a solid songwriter who produced most of the tracks here, with the spidery-thin guitar and keyboard washes that speak to the heavy '70s influence found here, there, and everywhere on contemporary R&B releases. One of the highlights, "When Love Came In," matches Lathun with India.Arie, both singers striving to spread more honey than the other (it's a draw). Another song, "Sweetest Thing," is just that, though as pleasant as it sounds, Lathun can't hide the similarities to D'Angelo (or isn't interested in trying). Unlike Remy Shand's The Way I Feel, though, Fortunate simply can't rise above its inspirations to become a stand-alone record for 2002.