Gerald Levert - Voices (2005)

Voices, a compilation of duets featuring Gerald LeVert, is neither as great nor as handy as it could have been. Containing three new songs and an assortment of ten other selections picked off nearly as many albums, it has both casual and die-hard fans in mind. The new songs -- featuring a reunion of the LeVert trio, Vanessa Williams, and newcomer Sherena Wynn -- are up to LeVert's usual standard and should make the disc worthwhile for those who have tracked the singer's every move. The previously released material dates back to 1988's "That's What Love Is," a number four R&B hit from Miki Howard's second album, and the later selections are wise in most cases, though a pair of LSG cuts, one from LeVert's solo album G, and another from Father and Son (the album billed to Gerald and Eddie LeVert, Sr.) will be redundant for a lot of the followers. Duets with Kelly Price, Yolanda Adams, Men at Large, and Teena Marie factor in, while Rude Boys' "Written All Over Your Face" is a group effort that showcases LeVert in more of a background role as an arranger and producer. (LeVert's productivity behind the scenes often goes unnoticed. Ask Regina Belle, Millie Jackson, Troop, Silk, Christopher Williams, Stephanie Mills, and several other artists who have benefited from it.) This set could've easily contained a second disc -- scads of equally deserving songs, including Keith Sweat's "Just One of Them Thangs," Mack 10's "Money's Just a Touch Away," and Tamia's "(They Long to Be) Close to You" are absent. A sequel release would be a welcomed thing, especially since a lot of LeVert's duets have slipped through the cracks since the late '80s. When Voices was released, there were eight LeVert solo albums (from 1991's Private Line through 2004's Do I Speak for the World), so a standard greatest-hits really ought to come first.