For Tevin Campbell's musical career, the journey has been definitely from boy to man.
First appearing on the scene with a Jacksonesque "Tomorrow (A Better You, a Better Me)" on Quincy Jones's 1989 release, "Back on the Block," Campbell now has a voice to be reckoned with.
Now 19 and with two albums under his belt, Campbell attempts to make the jump from the high alto that he once was, to his current slick, rich tenor on his latest rhythm and blues project titled, "Back to the World."
While many chart-bumping acts blow up and out with their first effort, then fizzle away like Alka-Seltzer in a Dixie cup, Tevin Campbell came back stronger in the second round, revamped and more mature.
Instead of following in the footsteps of his debut album "T.E.V.I.N." on his sophmore release"I'm Ready," Campbell decided to change his boyish image, recording songs with a look toward adulthood which showcased his musical and physical metamorphosis.
Campbell has shown a unique plasticity in style throughout the years. The baby fluff which constituted "T.E.V.I.N." proved successful. The irrestibly hooky "Round and Round" from the soundtrack to 1990's "Graffiti Bridge" and the heart-wrenching "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do" were all big hits for Campbell.
On Campbell's teen confection-laden production "I'm Ready," the artist featured selections that challenged him vocally and stylically. Songs including the Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds-produced "Can We Talk" and the Artist Formerly Known As Prince-written "Shhh" dealt with grown-up issues and highlighted the artist's sexuality.
Both albums showcased Campbell's unflagging attention to interpretation, using a Barry White-like register on those bump 'n' grind slow jams when needed or taking to a higher register for all the gooey crescendoes.
"Back to the World," Campbell's third album, has all the ingredients for a best-selling work. Campbell slithers his way through suave Don Juan ballards making use of the maturity of his voice. However, the album, which Campbell served as an executive producer, makes use of all the formulaic devices which R&B now demands -- slick bass lines, mid-tempo arrangements, and collaborations with recording heavies like Babyface, Sean "Puffy" Combs, and Keith Crouch.
In "Back to the World," Campbell introduces his listerners to the new, more mature Tevin Campbell. The boyish capriciousness is forever gone, and the vocal transformation is complete.
Campbell no longer asks "What Do I Say" as on his second album, instead on "Back to the World" he queries, "Are you satisfied/ with the way I love you."
One selection, "You Don't Have to Worry," is worthy of note. The song, performed against rich percussion, sinuous bass lines, and snatches of keyboard and vocals by the R&B trio "Total," makes for a funky-lush arrangement.
Campbell's voice complements the sleek jeep beats of this glucose-coated ballard which is sure to be a big hit when released.
Throughout the record, Campbell's voice is energetic and pulsed, however on many selections and especially on the higher registers, his voice seems pinched and whine-like.
Young, more mature, and now riding the waves of celebrityhood, Tevin Campbell, is a chanteur who has definitely come into his own with "Back to the World."
This work is a smooth, well-produced rhythm and blues album and marks the artist's best offering yet stylically, however it may not have the record-selling success of his previous ventures.
Trailblazing a divergent path from his two previous pop confections, "Back to the World" showcases, above all, Campbell's originality and adaptability.
