The Isley Brothers - Eternal (2001)

The platinum success of 1997's Mission to Please and frequent sampling of the likes of "Between the Sheets" speak to the ongoing viability of the Isley Brothers' name. Despite a 40-plus-year discography including church-bred R&B, proto-Latin soul, Motown hits, and blinding funk rock (the three-CD It's Your Thing box is a terrific crash history course, an instant-party kit, and the best buy for newcomers), leader Ronald is considered first and foremost a quiet-storm seduction master. Eternal aims to unite both factions with a steady midtempo flow, undiminished vocal power, and guest shots by admirers on the order of R. Kelly and Jill Scott. Though the unvaried approach ignores a number of their strengths, such as guitarist Ernie's Hendrix-like screams, it's a success on its terms. More tuneful than the average early 21st-century soul make-out session, Eternal scores even with a sweaty remake of Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now." Ronald Isley's lyric references to his popular video alter ego, "Mr. Biggs," rub the wrong way, but such missteps are few here. --Rickey Wright