Lyfe Jennings

Lyfe Jennings' third album exemplifies the singer's aesthetic: lush ballads with hints of old school soul mix with heavy-hearted lyrics that move the heart more than the libido, and Lyfe's voice, which manages to be both sweet and weathered, conveys a fragility that is alien to many of today's cookie-cutter crooners. There are a few missteps -- the melody for "Tom's Diner" snaking through the woe-is-me ballad "Keep on Dreaming" sounds awkward -- but it's hard to imagine that fans of Jennings will be disappointed.