Following the recent trend of singers turning to the ’50s and ’60s to help them find a musical niche, Raphael Saadiq’s The Way I See It is a foray into the past. The thing is, Saadiq is a master musician who doesn’t need to rely on past greats to define his sound. The Way I See It is undoubtedly a solid project, full of ditties like “One Kiss” where he conjures his inner Eddie Kendricks and the single do-wop-tastic “Sure Hope You Mean It.” Still, you can’t help but wish Saadiq would’ve just done him on the album, à la Instant Vintage or Ray Ray. -j.h.
