Soul Alone (1993)

Daryl Hall and John Oates reigned supreme as kings of blue-eyed soul for most of the '80s by streamlining their R&B leanings for mass consumption. But no formula works forever, and Hall has chosen to abandon the pop marketplace and aim specifically at the black listener with an album of well-crafted buppie readymades, Soul Alone. It's official: He's now an Urban Contemporary artist, which is kind of a drag. C