The "Bagg It Up Man" is back at us again with his first new disc in 3 years with this nice collection of Southern Soul and R&B flavored Ballads, all done in that unmistakable Nathaniel Kimble style. Unlike Kimble's previous efforts, this disc features more Slow and Midtempo tunes in a Contemporary R&B style than his usual Bluesy Southern Soul sound.
The album kicks off on the Uptempo with the dancer "2 Step". While its a fine Dance track that should do hot in Grown-Folks Clubs everywhere, I feel as though I have heard similar ground covered on previous material. But, track 2-"Tell It" is a flat out-great tune. The moderately Slow-to-midtempo Ballad showcases Kimble's emotive baritone voice, which is probably one of the best vocals he's done. This track showcases him in a fashion that he hasn't quite ever hit before & is a high-point of his almost decade-long recording career. This is a great choice for a single. He keeps the steppin' pace with the Ballad "Something Real Good", a high-caliber Love song. This song, as well as most of the album's tracks, features great guitar work.
Track 4 is another ballad, titled "Been There." Lyrically, this song is similiar to the Sir Charles Jones hit "Is Anybody Lonely" and has a memorable hook... "Chicago, N.O., Tennesse, Monroe, Little Rock, Georgia, California & Florida... I Been There." Track 5 "My Lady", is a stab at the 90's styled R&B Slow Jam with a Southern Soul flavor. This track is nice, while not as memorable as the tracks 2, 3 and 4. Track 6 "Happy" is a decent Southern Soul dancer that has already appeared on his previous disc, "I'm Back." # 7 "Dance With You", a pedestrian stepper with a shuffle beat and a weak vocal from Kimble. #8 "I'm Ready" is another mellow stepper and while this track is passable, its far from being a highlight. #9 "Party 2Nite" keeps the stepping pace with a Chicago R-Kelly kind of style, featuring very good backup vocals(uncredited). The closing track is "Love Me In The City", which has an uptempo Jeep kind of feel. Nice track. The biggest flaw in this record is the quality of the production. The sound is dull, muddy & distorted, but nevertheless, this record is listenable & pretty enjoyable. My honest opinion is that Kimble has done better work in the past, such as his debut "Bagg It Up" CD & his should-have-been classic follow-up "Please Don't Go."
While this CD does have a few weak spots, Overall this CD is nice and fans who like Contemporary R&B mixed with Southern Soul should definitely consider giving "Sensational" a purchase.
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