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Dwele's latest joint comes with an advisory sticker: "For maximum impact, play after dark." Well okay, it doesn't, but it should. Some Kinda..., the neo-soul crooner's sophomore effort, is a lot like Las Vegas—it's at the peak of its powers when the sun goes down.
Listeners got their first hit of Dwele thanks to his guest vocals on tracks by the likes of Slum Village. Next came Subject, his 2003 debut. More atmospheric than hook-laden, it never caught on domestically. Though fervent, the singer's fan base was microscopic at best. But the Brits loved him, and Dwele enjoyed relative popularity overseas.
Sonically, Some Kinda... walks almost precisely the same ground as its predecessor, which is to say it presents a world in which languidness is king. Gossamer slow jams abound, floating in and out of each other like fragments of a dream. When the hour is late, there's no denying the potency of tracks like "Holla" and "Weekend Love." They pull you into bed with the easy confidence of an old lover.
But dreams lose their mojo when the sun rises. In the clinical light of day, you find yourself wishing Dwele's lullabies were a bit less amorphous, more distinctive of each other, more defined. In a couple of instances, he proves he's up to this challenge. "Flapjacks" bounces on a saucy hook that'll grab you no matter what the hour. Ditto for "Know Your Name," a rich brew of neo-soul smoothness caffeinated with a jolt of loverman urgency.
However, only the most churlish of souls could mourn what could have been, when what exists offers so much to savor. Some Kinda... may be light as air, but when experienced at the right time, and in the right place, it's heavy enough to pin you to the sheets.
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