Ain't Nothin' Like Me (2007)

Fourteen years into his career, this smooth-toned crooner still hasn't recorded anything quite as memorable as his sung hook for Big Pun's 1998 rap hit ''Still Not a Player.'' His sixth album, Ain't Nothin' Like Me, is similarly most entertaining when New York MCs like Nas (''Get to Know Me'') and Papoose (''Where You At'') drop by for lively guest spots. Joe's solo ballads, however, make the disc's title seem like a cruel joke: His voice is consistently easy on the ears, sure, but contemporary R&B is full of also-rans who sound exactly like him. B-

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