Douglass

With his latest album, Vibe and Completions, Kansas City crooner Douglass sounds like he’s out to restore that early-’90s “quiet storm” R&B style. Back then, artists such as Maxwell wore the mysterious element of soul on their sleeves and put out tender jams that even your parents could enjoy. Nowadays, singers whore themselves out as eagerly as many of their hip-hop counterparts. Whether he’s encouraging old-fashioned hand-clapping as a means of cutting loose and feeling free (“Clap Ya Hands”) or throwing triumphant horns into the mix on an otherwise moody track (“What Be I”), it’s obvious that Douglass isn’t interested in being a flavor-of-the-month pop sensation. He’s a grown man making music for the grown-up and the sexy, and Vibe is great fodder for reminiscing about the good old days of R&B. Just try not to picture your parents getting it on.