If you’re the type that is all about post 90s syrupy smooth slow jams, Dwele’s new album, Sketches of a Man, is definitely for you.

Where I will admit that R&B has never been my genre of choice, it would be wrong of me not to acknowledge the skill that Dwele brings to the table with this new album. He manages to take fairly basic and fundamentally boring rhythms and turn them into musical poetry worth listening to. As you listen to the words, you can vividly picture him sitting on a bench with a notepad drafting lyrics. And even if you choose not to listen to the words, the vast majority of this album would make great background music for a wide variety of candle based activities.

A month from now, I’m quite sure that I wouldn’t be able to list of the name of any given track. However, that wouldn’t be due to a lack of listening. The album yields a sense of continuity that allows the listener to press play and not worry about the desired mood to be interrupted by a dissimilar song. Sure, there are songs that stand out more than others, but I prefer to view this album as a cohesive unit that pleasingly adheres to the concept of groove.

~David Burch