R&B's dominance of America's music market seems to be a trend which is catching on over here. As it does so the R&B umbrella gets ever larger, taking in more and more varied artists and sounds that appeal to music fans across the board.

Urban Kiss 2003 is a varied selection that reflects the trend, including more leftfield artists such as NERD, Punjabi MC, Clipse and Eminem alongside the traditionally smooth R&B sound of the likes of India Arie, Toni Braxton, Beverley Knight and Angie Martinez.

CD 2 ventures further from the template, mixing in some garage tunes from Eskimo, Jaimeson and More Fire Crew before heading back to more laidback territory. Oliver Cheatham's Get Down Saturday Night' (recently remixed by Room 5) and Ms.Dynamite's Put Him Out' are amongst the highlights that follow.

The whole thing flows along nicely thanks to DJ Swerve's mixing which adds energy and allows for some ambitious combinations. But that's the problem: Despite the leftfield edge, it's all a little too smooth for some tastes. Only committed R&B heads will love everything on offer here.

May 21, 2003 09:30