Album II

Much of the power on Detroit singer Kem’s second album comes from the way he keeps his cool: It unfolds like a tantalising flirtation, with subtle musical gestures turning up the heat slowly and delectably. Kem’s bare-bones take on R&B requires little more than a gently swinging band and his velvety, deeply expressive voice, with the occasional instrumental filigree—a fluttering flute on the sultry “I’m In Love", starry-night chimes and saxophone trills on the stretched-out “Heaven”—sharpening his come-ons’ aim at the heart.