Force of Nature

Tank's first entry into the hip-hop soul sweepstakes, Force of Nature is dominated by soft, organic ballads and jittery future funk à la Sisqo or Timbaland. He tends to be more convincing on the romantic material than on the harder-hitting party cuts; the first single, "Maybe I Deserve," is a decent contemporary R&B love song, while the six-minute "Slowly" has a warm, vintage Prince feel that showcases Tank's crooning to best advantage. There doesn't seem to be much here that will truly separate Tank from the rest of an already crowded R&B pack, but Force of Nature is well-crafted enough for its Top Ten status to make sense. ~ Steve Huey