Album Review

*** Montell Jordan, “Let’s Ride,” Def Jam / Def Soul. Jordan’s debut single, “This Is How We Do It,” was a huge hit in ‘95, but the dynamic title cut of his new album just might eclipse it in popularity. Featuring the hard-core rap stylings of Master P, it drives home a rugged thug-love intensity. And the rest of the album further dispels the notion that Jordan’s ’95 success was beginner’s luck.

The spirit of Marvin Gaye lives in the dreamily atmospheric “When You Get Home.” It borrows heavily from his ‘70s signature sound while managing to be taut, modern and fresh. “Body Ah” uses a familiar Earth, Wind & Fire riff to get its romantic message across, but EWF never sounded this sensual.

The sophistication and depth that the L.A.-based artist brings to his dance jams and bedroom ballads are applied with equal sincerity to “4 You” and “I Say Yes”--gospel ravers for hip-hop lovers. To some, it might appear unseemly to include these tracks on an album so worldly and materialistic, but the contradictions might be chalked up to Jordan’s youth, and they don’t lessen the music’s appeal. Complexity is what makes an artist interesting, and Jordan scores on that point.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).