George

GEORGE
"BELIEVE"
(Avex/Japan, 2007)


"I Wanna Love You"


Remember Justin Nozuka, whose CD I reviewed about a month ago? Well, allow me to introduce you to his brother, who bills himself by just his first name, George. But their parentage is about all they have in common; whereas Justin specializes in soulful, bluesy, singer-songwriter pop, George Nozuka has taken a rather different route, namely contemporary R&B.

At first listen, there really isn't much of anything that distinguishes George from the rest of the young male R&B crowd clamoring to be the next Usher. But something about this CD has made it grow on me faster than any other R&B release in years. I'm not sure if it's the songs -- every one of which was co-written by the artist, which always earns extra points in my book -- or the voice behind them -- soulful, tender, husky but smooth ... enough to give Chris Brown or Justin Timberlake a run for their money.

Truth be told, the simple fact that I like his brother so much is the only reason I bought this album in the first place, and may have a lot to do with why I've come to like George almost as much. It was a risky purchase, since I've tried and failed to enjoy music by siblings or cousins of some of my favorite artists more than once before, but in this case it paid off handsomely.