Album #4

Raphael Saadiq's "The Way I See It"

Says Entertainment Weekly: "Backed by a galvanizing ensemble of musicians that would make the Funk Brothers proud, Saadiq belts out effervescent love songs with infectious vigor. Except for cameos from Joss Stone (''Just One Kiss'') and Jay-Z (the remix of ''Oh Girl''), this disc could easily be mistaken for some 
lost gem from the civil rights era."

Says legendary music critic Robert Christgau: "Singing with the obliging malleability of last Temptation Dennis Edwards, emoting with the sweet specificity of miracle worker Smokey Robinson, he goes Motown with so much joy in one-man-band craft he'll not only convince the girl he's sweet-talking that this is forever, he'll convince you."

Says the Village Voice: "Raphael's juke joint is all horn stabs, tambourines, Temptations-inspired rhythms, doo-wop pathos, and patient pining-after ballads like "Oh Girl," "Callin'," and "Never Give You Up," for which Stevie Wonder dusts off the ol' harmonica. Even while Saadiq pays homage to soul's golden era, he brings his own flavor through his tell-tale tenor;"

Says I: "Top Ten Album of the Year!"