In 1994,
Glenn Jones stuck to his quiet storm guns. The singer knew that his audience was a quiet storm audience; he knew that the people who bought his albums were the same people who listened to
Luther Vandross,
Freddie Jackson,
Peabo Bryson, and
Anita Baker. Those are the listeners he caters to on
Here I Am, which zeroes in on the quiet storm crowd and emphasizes romantic ballads and slow jams.
Jones doesn't go out of his way to be trendy by 1994 standards -- he doesn't explore house music, he doesn't rap, and he doesn't feature Snoop Doggy Dogg or
Dr. Dre on any of the songs (although the high-tech production does show an awareness of hip-hop production styles).
Jones (who wrote or co-wrote all of the material) is wise enough to be true to himself -- that's why he has no problem singing with conviction on romantic tracks like "Give Love a Chance" and "Round and Round."
Here I Am falls short of remarkable, and it isn't
Jones' most essential release. Nonetheless, this is a solid and pleasing effort that the singer's hardcore fans will easily enjoy. ~ Alex Henderson