Terry Linen

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Terry Linen seems to be positioning himself at the head of the soft reggae pack with this release, which is essentially an update of the lovers rock genre, heavily tinged with American R&B. It helps that there are some standout songs here, most particularly the opener, "Your Love Is My Love," with its catchy chorus, and a version of R. Kelly's "Storm Is Over." If the rest of the songs had lived up to these two — and notably "Your Love Is My Love" makes a reappearance in a Spanish mix to catch that crossover audience — this would have been a cracker of a record. Unfortunately, they don't, and while producer Anthony Cameron can pen a decent tune, he doesn't have an ear for the outstanding, sometimes delving into maudlin sentimentality, as on "Thank You Mama." Linen himself has a pleasant enough voice, which is more crooner than soulful, but he works hard to put his lyrics across (especially on the soul standard "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"), and the arrangements are uncluttered, if never inspired. Somehow, it's impossible not to think of Terry Linen as the new Johnny Nash — although whether that's really a good thing will remain to be seen.