Pit5 Music News Cache

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer 2 hours, 55 minutes ago

Chris Brown, "Exclusive" (Jive)

Ever since he hit the scene two years ago with the smash hit "Run It," Chris Brown has been described as the future of R&B: the next Usher, the next Michael Jackson, the next big thing.

There's good reason for that. The 18-year-old has a smooth singing style and remarkable dance moves. Add his considerable good looks and charisma, and there's no other new male act who has his explosive potential.

The problem with potential is you have to live up to it. His self-titled debut in 2005 had a few good songs here and there, but overall, it was a forgettable disc.

"Exclusive," his sophomore album, isn't the next "Thriller" or even "Confessions." But it is a solid, entertaining effort that more often than not delivers on Brown's considerable promise.

Though Brown's high tenor can still sound a bit nasally, it's enticing, and more importantly, it's grown in range and depth. While he still has boyish charm, it's clear the 18-year-old has become a man (actually, very clear on the seduction ballad "Take You Down.")

Many of the tracks are zooming, booming dance grooves layered with vocals, drum machines and sound effects, and Brown's infectious presence gives songs like "Wall to Wall" and "Picture Perfect" that extra spark. But the plethora of these kinds of tunes give the album a mechanical sound at times, and weaker tracks like "Throwed" only bog the album down.

"Exclusive" is best when it veers from its club emphasis and Brown gets a chance to really emote, like on "With You," a tender acoustic guitar track co-written by the same team responsible for Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" and the midtempo groove "You."

Brown gets plenty of A-list help on this record. R&B's go-to hitmaker, T-Pain, is featured on the No. 1 hit "Kiss Kiss"; will.i.am is one of the producers; Big Boi almost steals the show on the Jeep blaster "Hold Up"; and Kanye West, the Game and Lil Wayne all make appearances.

With all that star power, lesser artists may have been relegated to second billing. But Brown remains the main attraction throughout, another sign of a superstar in the making.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Given that Brown is barely legal, it feels almost unseemly to enjoy his bedroom banter on the Isley Brothers-sounding "Take You Down" — but it's worth the guilty feeling.