Rahsaan Patterson's Love in Stereo was the most exhilarating and, certainly, the most overlooked R&B release of 1999. It's confounding why an album so jubilant, so self-assured, and so unequivocally soulful didn't even garner a top 10 hit for the multitalented Patterson, who wrote, produced, and sang on all 12 of its inspired tracks. Laden with unforgettable hooks, blissful melodies, and fat, luscious grooves, the songs on Patterson's sophomore release reveal a reverence for the past, namely the glorious 1970s albums of Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, and Curtis Mayfield. But, crooning in a crystalline tenor, the native New Yorker creates a funky-yet-meditative sound that's all his own. Patterson mixes in gospel stylings ("The Day"), horn-driven funk à la Earth, Wind & Fire ("Any Other Love"), and political commentary ("Treat You Like A Queen," which speaks to the issue of domestic violence), while conveying a sentiment sorely lacking in much of today's monotonous R&B playing field: pure musical uplift. --Sylvia W. Chan