Born and raised near Clarksdale, MS and now based in northern Florida, David Brinston has his Southern soul cred down. Originally released on the tiny METT label in 1999 but reissued by the soul specialist imprint Ecko Records, Somebody's Cuttin My Cake is a solid example of Brinston's low-key presence. Unabashedly influenced by the likes of Johnnie Taylor and Tyrone Davis, Brinston's vocal style is silky smooth, with just enough grit underneath to add a hint of authority. The arrangements are utterly authentic, with modern instrumentation kept to a minimum in favor of old-school organ, horns, fatback bass and bluesy, economical guitar solos. The one drawback is that all of these enticing elements are put in service of competent but forgettable Southern soul ballads and R&B love jams that rarely catch fire as songs rather than examples of a nearly forgotten musical style. Recommended primarily for style fetishists.