A certain number of points must be deducted for the terribly lame pun of the album title, but other than that,
Will Preston's debut is a likeable piece of neo-soul crooning. Slickly produced but not crassly manufactured-sounding,
It's My Will showcases an old-school R&B crooner persona, more along the elegant lines of
Lou Rawls or
Gerald LeVert than the more overtly sexy love-man type.
Preston is entirely in control throughout this record, so much so that at times the listener almost wishes that the heat would be turned up a couple of notches: the lost-love ballad "We Should've Stayed" would have been a bit more effective with just a little more emotion on
Preston's part. However, songs as suave and romantic as "Queen" and as smoothly assertive as "It's Real" are always welcome, and overall,
It's My Will is a fine addition to the too often overlooked quiet storm approach. ~ Stewart Mason