All Hits at the House of Blues
Raphael Saadiq sums up his 15-year career on this live double CD. An R&B; connoisseur whose hitmaking days began long before anyone started tossing around the term "neo-soul," Saadiq brought not only his current band to the Hollywood club’s stage but a number of guests including members of his former groupTony Toni Toneand the musically likemindedD’Angelo. The result is a sometimes languid, sometimes intense walk through material drawn largely from his 2002 solo debutInstant Vintageand the Tony catalog (the latter given satisfying but short playing time). While it's hard not to seeAll Hitsas marking time for Saadiq, the discs do allow plenty of room for him to display his formidable talents as a singer, writer, and bandleader. Where much neo-soul tends to pleasantly blend into the atmosphere, Saadiq has enough melodic command--not to mention his sly sense of humor--to make this more than a showcase of technique.--Rickey Wright