{$Joe} is hardly an appropriate name for a lover man -- it seems more like a moniker for a custodian than a Casanova -- but that's exactly what {$Joe} is. He's an old-fashioned romantic soul crooner in the vein of {$Al Green}, {$Marvin Gaye}, {$D'Angelo}, and, well, {$Gregory Abbott}. He's not as ambitious as {$D'Angelo} is, but that doesn't really matter, since he delivers the goods on his third album, {^My Name Is Joe}. {$Joe} never oversings or oversells a song, he just lays back and sweetly sings. There may not be much variety or many remarkable songs on the record -- {&"Get Crunk Tonight"} stands out with its stuttering, fade-in-fade-out intro and its stylishly funky beat -- but that doesn't matter because this is essentially a mood record, and that mood is love. And it's not a bad romantic mood-setter, either, since {$Joe} is an appealing vocalist, the production is lush without being syrupy, and the songs are all fairly strong, even if only a handful are exceptional ({&"Somebody Gotta Be on Top,"} {&"Treat Her Like a Lady,"} {&"Get Crunk Tonight,"} the {$N'Sync} duet {&"I Believe in You"}). And, really, that's enough, since anyone that gets hooked by a single from {^My Name Is Joe} just wants an assurance that the album will deliver more of the same -- and it does. [The Japanese release adds three songs: {&"Soon As I Get Paid,"} {&"I'm Missing You,"} and {&"No One Else Comes Close."}] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide