"I'm bad, not as bad as Eric Benét." So raps Common in character as an unfaithful husband on his new disc Be. Indeed, since Benét famously cheated on ex-wife Halle Berry during their three-year marriage—he was even rumored to be a sex addict—his name has become synonymous with infidelity, and his music career has taken a gale-force blow. But on Hurricane, his first album since 1999's A Day in the Life, Benét reminds listeners of why, before he married Berry, he was one of R&B's most promising lovemen. "I've been away too long a while/I lost my rhythm, I forgot my style," he sings on the bluesy opener "Be Myself Again," a sort of sequel to his 1996 single "True to Myself." The silky-voiced singer addresses the turmoil surrounding his personal life on the heartfelt title track ("A hurricane is sometimes the only way to wash away the pain"), while also alluding to his split with Berry on cuts like the reggae-tinged "Where Does the Love Go" and "My Prayer," one of many sumptuous slow jams. And on the gorgeous, acoustic-guitar-laced "Man Enough to Cry"—the best Babyface song that Babyface never recorded-he might just get you to shed a tear for him.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Man Enough to Cry"
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