Avant

Cleveland's Avant may have originally signed to Magic Johnson's label, but that doesn't mean he writes jock jams. On the contrary, this smooth mover has precisely the opposite of adrenaline in mind when writing his sultry, satiny bedroom jams. On Avant's albums, sexing up his lover is a fait accompli, given the way these languid tracks blush with a rosy, unmistakably post-coital glow. The pulse does occasionally pick up, testifying to the artist's openness to a broad crossover, as with funk-fueled tracks like "Six in Da Morning," and Avant's cover choices -- like a version of Christopher Cross' lite-rock staple "Sailing."