Avant AVANT

The follow-up to Avant's hugely successful DIRECTOR, this 2008 self-titled album finds the R&B singer easing into an accessible and eclectic set of tunes as he acclimates to a new label, Capitol Records. While the smooth-voiced singer offers up plenty of slow jams, particularly the electro-tinged "Sensuality" and the sensitive lead single "When It Hurts," he verges on funk with "Involve Yourself," and goes for full-blown pop on the horn-laden "Material Things." Other highlights of AVANT include the catchy, Snoop Dogg-featuring "Attention" and a quiet storm-like cover of Christopher Cross's "Sailing," which stays true to the spirit of the original song and serenely closes out the album.

• Format: CD
• Genre: R&B