Saga Of A Married Man is the seventh album from Alexander O'Neal and although his finest hour will forever be the release of his 1987 master-piece Hearsay, which made him the undisputed king of finger clicking 80s soul and the double breasted suit, Saga suggests that he's far from done smooching with the ladies. Nor is he living on past glories. While "You're Gonna Miss Me" and "I'm There" are reminiscent of the super slick, synth bass soul of Hearsay's hits "Fake" and "Criticise", Saga Of A Married Man has the 50 year old crooner more than holding his own in the fiercely competitive world that is modern-day R'n'B. It's safe to say that the scatter-shot Timbaland style beats and string stabs of opening gambit and standout track "He Said She Said" aren't what most would expect from O'Neal. But he carries them off better than most. And with his silky smooth gospel tones and ability to sweet talk the ladies intact, tripping ballads "It Don't Matter", "It's OK" and "Last Night" put him well ahead of the likes of Montell Jordan and R Kelly in the lady killer stakes. The sickly "Happy Home" and his confusing stance on fidelity aside, as come backs go, Saga Of A Married Man is pretty damn impressive. -Dan Gennoe.

In a way, it's a shame that Luther Vandross' Songs, his 1994 album of other people's hits, became the biggest hit of his career, for it obscured one of his greatest talents: songwriting. The best soul singer of the '80s is back with Your Secret Love, his first album of original, non-Christmas songs since 1993's Never Let Me Go. He hasn't lost his knack for big, emotional melodies and for scenarios that find happiness tantalizingly close, but still out of reach. -Geoffrey Himes.

Suspense is crucial to soul music. The great soul singers from Sam Cooke and Smokey Robinson to Al Green and Prince have always allowed for the possibility that their romantic pleadings might be rejected. No active singer creates more suspense in his or her songs than Luther Vandross, whose Never Let Me Go is one of his best. For example, in the opening verse of the first single, "Little Miracles (Happen Every Day)," the lonely singer longs for someone to talk to, and the gospelish, voice-and-piano arrangement is heavily echoed to make it sound even lonelier. On a happy, uptempo song like "Heaven Knows," there's a hint of uncertainty. The music radiates optimism, as a catchy pop rock hook is married to coproducer Marcus Miller's out-front R&B bass riff. As on every album, Vandross includes a tribute to his musical roots, and this time it's a medley of the Bee Gees' 1977 disco double entendre "How Deep Is Your Love," an instrumental version of the Spinners' '74 hit "Love Don't Love Nobody," and the '54 Johnny Ace hit "Never Let Me Go. " In this pop-music era of overbearing arrogance and unending self-pity, Vandross's suspenseful balance of yearning and doubt may be mistaken for slickness by some glib observers. For anyone interested in hearing a great voice explore the subtleties of adult romance, however, you won't find anything better than Vandross's. -Geoffrey Himes.