If it wasn’t for R. Kelly, there would probably be no Avant. But while Kellz has jumped on the autotune/hiphop- train, Avant has stayed true to his rnb roots. As a matter of fact, I can’t think of many artists from 2008 that really aims for the old school rnb fan like Avant with his new album.

Avant walked in on the scene eight years ago and has since then released no less than five good albums. This new one is no exception and after hearing ‘When It Hurts’, it’s obvious that Avant is still confident with his own style. Not many artists would release a slow jam like that as a first single. And while the ballads still are Avant’s strength, the new album does include a couple of really nice midtempo/uptempo tracks. The best of these is probably ‘Attention’, in which Avant gets support by Snoop Dogg.

Even though Avant lacks the kind of standout songs that made My Thoughts and Director worth running to the record store for, he’s probably made his most consistent album so far. There aren’t many downs on Avant which is a bit rare this year, when most artists seem to have the same formula in building albums (two hot songs and ten fillers).

Avant’s self-titled album deserves to be noticed and I really hope that it will steal some attention from the record buyers. After all, December isn’t the easiest month of the year to deal with the competition. But at the same time, I can’t think of a better way of making it through this cold season than with Avant’s smooth and soulful music, while spending time with your loved ones. If your looking for that kind of cosy music, Avant should definitely fit your choice.

Avant - French Pedicure

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Avant - Attention

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