My Name Is Joe
R&B; jack of all trades Joe Thomas has garnered his share of success (three gold singles, the platinumAll That I Am, a prominent role onMariah Carey's "Thank God I Found You") without rising to superstardom.My Name is Joe, his third album, is his bid to change that. Fully loaded mainstream soul,Joesplits most of its time between "sensitive" ballads ("Treat Her Like a Lady" suggests sending a greeting card) and randy I'll-freak-you declarations; at its conceptual limit, it combines both in the same song. With a fine voice and OK-but-well-crafted songs, Joe is, ahem, positioned to step intoKeith Sweat's bedroom slippers.--Rickey Wright